Alternate Chances
by Zyra M
Summary: What if the victory at Endor was short-lived? A different take on how the Empire was defeated. Co-authored with ShouldIGetOutandPush and originally published on the Han and Leia Fanfic Writers' Blog.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This story was written by myself and ShouldIGetOutandPush and originally featured on the Han and Leia Fanfic Writers' Blog around 2011. We traded chapters back and forth, odd chapters, as will be noted, were written by her, and the even chapters were written by me. Also often when the story was handed over a "condition" was included that must be included in the next chapter, and those will be noted as well at the end of any chapter they were included in. This story begins with a slightly darker take if the Empire was not as defeated as we thought at the end of ROTJ.**_

 _ **The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

Princess Leia Organa slammed her eyes shut as the light came pouring into her cell. The clang of the metal tray against the duracrete floor had no affect on her anymore. She felt the wetness on her shins before the stench of sour blue milk assaulted her nostrils. Glancing at the putrid heap in the corner and back at the food just brought to her, she slung the tray and its contents over towards it – saving her body the trouble.

"Suit yourself," the voice growled at her as she heard the heavy door slam shut, dousing the penetrating light and enveloping her in darkness once again.

Her head fell back against the wall and she clutched her stomach. She felt the familiar wrench and crawled her way to the corner as her body lurched and she spat and coughed. Resting back on her haunches she sat there for a little while, waiting to ensure that the urge had passed. Spinning back around towards the door she crawled until her palms felt the sticky, cool sensation of the blue milk. Resting her head against the floor, she began to sip.

Turning over on her back, she let the milk dribble down her cheek and into her hair. She strained to see the ceiling but only the darkness presented itself. Were her eyes even open? She spread her body against the floor, arms out, legs separated and concentrated on her breathing. In and out. In through her nose and out through her mouth and then vice versa. What a marvelous thing the body was. Why did hers continue to function? For how much longer and to what end?

She awoke, spread eagle on her back on the floor. How long had she slept? What was time anymore? Days, weeks, months had surely passed her by already. Why didn't they just kill her? Was she worth anything to anyone anymore? How long ago had it been since the bottom fell out? Somewhere over Coruscant. Their victory had been reversed. The Empire had made a final stand. Endor was just another Yavin, a temporary win against an enemy that would never die.

Where were Han and Luke and Chewie? How many servings of rotten blue milk ago had she given up on them? Given up on turning her face up to the wretched, blinding light and hearing the words, "I'm Luke Skywalker and I'm here to rescue you." What kind of galaxy raged on beyond that heavy door that had prevented them from finding her? She had lost the desire to find that out.

The scraping, dragging sound of her cell door opening grated on her thoughts. As the flood of light washed over her she thought, my eyes are closed.

"Get up!" the raspy booming voice yelled at her.

 _Make me._

"Get up, you heaping piece of rotten stench," the voice spat out as Leia felt her head knock around to one side, spinning her body around like a compass in a Maw.

Rolling over to her side, she balled herself up, knees to her chest, hands over her head.

"You're getting out, ya damn wench! Now get up!"

The jolt to her back knocked the wind out of her and brought back up whatever blue milk she had previously forced down. Pushing herself up to her knees, her hair hanging wet and heavy to the ground beneath her she coughed and spat and croaked out, "Wha..?" Her vocal cords burned at the unfamiliar burden of sound and Leia didn't even recognize the unfamiliar voice that echoed through the cell block.

"Get up! And Get out! That's what's what!" the voice yelled as she felt a tightening around her arm and her feet dangling on the floor. Her ankles rolled over and her knees wobbled like her bones had been replaced with jelly.

The dull pain of her knees scraping against the duracrete battled with the stinging in her eyes as she was dragged out of her cell. Gray, drab walls with dusty lighting moved slowly overhead like a faulty holomovie, fading in and out with each heavy blink of her eyes. As her body turned over and her heels dragged behind her on the floor she filled her lungs with the unfamiliar treat of air not laced with mildew and the stench of human waste.

Dropping her down like a rag doll, Leia heard a faint beeping and then the hiss of a door sliding open. There was a blinding light and a stinging warmth that assaulted her body. The feel of what could only be real daylight pricked at the tiny recesses of her mind. Without a word and without prompt, she rolled over on her knees and quickly crawled towards the warm sensation.

Finding her burst of energy quickly exhausted, Leia fell down on her stomach as she heard the door hiss shut behind her. Breathing heavily, she inhaled dust and dirt, the welcome filth that felt like freedom clogging her lungs and causing her to sputter and cough. She felt a hand on her shoulder, not heavy or crushing; it turned her over and onto her back.

Her eyes glued shut, begging for tears that her body could not produce, Leia could still see the sunshine through her eyelids, hot and bright – it felt like salvation.

"Leia?"

She coughed and turned her head, as she felt the owner of that voice crouch down beside her. Gently pushing the hair out of her face, Leia's chest lurched at the tender, welcome touch.

"Leia," she croaked out with her own unused voice. Confirming the question not only for the stranger, but for herself as well.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gods, Leia. It _is_ you!"

She felt a hand against her shoulder and her eyes strained in the sunlight to see who this person was that had finally come to help her.

The dark hair was what she noticed first, followed by the concerned, hazel eyes looking back at her. She was almost ready to throw her arms around his neck, but her vision traveled lower and saw the unmistakable orange flight suit of a Rogue Squadron pilot. "Wedge?" She croaked out through her dry throat.

"I'm here, Leia. I'm here. We've been scouring the galaxy looking for you. Can you stand?"

Leia took a moment to shake the fog out of her head, finding the wave of nausea subsiding quickly. Reaching an arm up to grasp Wedge's shoulder for support, she allowed the pilot to help hoist her off the ground.

Having been in too much shock from the sight of a friendly face, she had almost forgotten to ask. "Wedge, what about everyone else? Where's Han? Luke, Chewie?"

"We'll get to that, Leia. Right now we have to get you out of here. Come on, we have to rendezvous with the medical frigate."

Leia wanted to protest, to get answers before they went any further, but she found herself unable to form words as they slowly made their way to the B-wing ready to take her to freedom.

How long it took to dock with the medical frigate, she didn't know. She'd been grounded for what felt like months and the near-empty belly left her having to shut her eyes tightly in order to keep from spewing what little contents of her stomach remained all over the ship from her spot in the gunner's chair.

With her eyes shut she felt the motion ceasing and the hum of the engines shutting down. "All right, Leia. Let's get you some help," she heard Wedge say before he reached back and undid her restraints. Opening the cockpit hatch she heard him yell a little too loudly, "I need a medic!" The echo rang through her ears and caused her to wince, but before she knew it, she was being gently lifted out of the ship and taken away.

Her eyes darted at the unfamiliar faces around her. She vaguely recognized one or two of them from the med ward for the Rebellion, but knew none of them by name. What she needed more than anything was to see someone she loved, someone who she knew would wrap her in a tight embrace and make everything better. But no one like that materialized in front of her eyes.

"Where-" she croaked out before she felt an oxygen mask being placed over her mouth.

"Shhh, Princess. Don't try to talk now. We're going to take care of you."

Unable to argue, she leaned her head back against the stretcher, trying to focus on the good fortune of being free for the moment, even if she still hadn't seen anyone who she really wanted to see.

She opened her eyes sometime later, having no recollection of how she got to where she was currently. She appeared to be in a private room in a comfortable bed. She had forgotten what it was like to sleep on one of those. Blankets were pulled up to her waist and her body was draped in a standard-issue gown. She noted several IV's attached to her arms, pumping in fluids of various types.

Aside from the vast amount of medical equipment, the room was empty. She felt a wave of sadness, wanting nothing more than to have someone there to hold her hand and talk to her. It had been so long since she'd talked to anyone…

"Hey," she heard from the doorway.

Looking up, she saw Wedge standing with a half-smile on his face, for once dressed in normal, civilian clothes instead of his Rogue Squadron orange.

While he wasn't first on the list of people she'd wanted to see right now, any familiar face was better than none. And at that moment, she owed him her life. Holding her hand out, wanting more of the novel feeling of a friendly touch, she said, "Wedge."

Taking her invitation, he moved forward and took her hand in his. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Honestly? I have no idea," she said. "I can't feel much of anything."

"Well, I'm just glad we got to you when we did."

"Wedge, thank you. I don't know what…" she trailed off, and Wedge looked down at his feet, obviously uncomfortable with accepting gratitude.

"It's okay, Leia. It's over now."

She smiled back at him and was just about ready to open her mouth to ask one of the dozens of questions swirling around in her brain before she saw a doctor enter the room.

"I see we're awake," the tall, salt and pepper-haired man said.

Wedge looked at the doctor and back to Leia. "I'll leave you two alone," he said.

His hand released hers and he disappeared through the doorway and Leia turned back to the doctor who was checking her vital signs on the readout screens.

"Everything seems to be going okay up here. How do you feel, young lady?"

"I don't feel much of anything," she said, repeating what she'd just told Wedge.

"Well, that's not unusual. We've got a lot of medications coursing through you right now."

"Am I going to be okay?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Well, when they brought you in you were malnourished and extremely dehydrated. At some point you contracted some sort of intestinal bacteria, likely from tainted food. But I believe we've cleared that out of your system. Right now we need to get your fluids back in balance and get some calories into you. You're quite a bit underweight at the moment. I'm glad to say that physically you don't seem to have sustained any damage during your captivity. You will make a full recovery."

Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked up at the doctor again and asked, "Do you know where Han Solo or Luke Skywalker are?"

His brow furrowed in thought and after a moment he looked down at her and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't. I haven't been stationed here long, just volunteered recently when the Empire ran an ambush on my home planet and forced us out. I will let you know if I hear of them."

She heaved a frustrated sigh and sat back against the pillows, and he noted that her heart rate went up."Try and get some is the quickest way to get you out of here, and I know that nobody likes being here."

Leia nodded weakly while the doctor smiled at her one more time and walked out of the room. She tried to sit up, but the wave of dizziness that accosted her told her that she was far from being able to hold her head up on her own, let alone walk around demanding answers. But somebody soon was going to have to tell her what was going on and how long she'd been out of it.

 _ **A/N: Push's condition to me for this chapter was that whoever came to get Leia, it couldn't be Han, Luke or Chewie.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

Leia's eyes fluttered open and she let the room and her unfamilair surroundings unwind around her. There was the distinctive antiseptic smell of a hospital and various monitors were beeping and whirring in her ears. Recent events slowly clicked into place and as she realized she was safe, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Turning her head to the side, she rolled over and pushed herself up to a sitting position as she let her legs swing down over the edge of her medical bunk.

She sat there for a bit as she let her body orient itself to an upright position. She was alone. Although there were two other beds in her room, they were empty. Wiggling her toes, she wondered if she should try to stand. One by one, she disconnected the tubes hanging from her arm, leaving the needles taped to her skin with the un-tethered tentacles swinging loosely like her hair in a ponytail. That thought gave Leia a start as she missed the feeling that her blanket of hair usually provided, suddenly noticing the absence of its weighty presence.

Raising her hand up to her head, Leia met with the prickly ends of fresh cut hair that stuck out right past her ears. Realization washed over her like a cool burst of water as her other hand flew up and hopelessly searched for the long braid of hair that was no longer there. It was just one more thing that was missing from her life now. Resting her hands down on her knees she looked at her knuckles all scabbed over and bruised and her fingernails freshly cut all the way down to the quick.

Exhaling heavily, she placed her hands on either side of her hips and slid off the bed and onto the floor. Once her feet made contact with the icy, cold tiles, shooting pains were sent up her legs and she had to twist around quickly to lean over the bed and prevent herself from falling onto the floor. Steadying herself, she slowly stood up straight, testing her legs and her equilibrium before she attempted to let go of the bunk and walk towards the door and hopefully towards some answers.

She ambled down the long hallway, relying heavily on the corridor walls for support. Medical personnel brushed passed her but she seemed to be as invisible as she felt, like an aberration in an alternate universe. She reached a crossroads in the corridor and stood at the corner for a long silent moment. Her eyes traveled down the three corridors, to the left, to the right and then straight ahead. Choosing the direction to take seemed to loom over her like the most important decision she would ever have to make in her entire life.

"Excuse me," she whispered to a young woman in a white coat holding a datapad in her hands.

"Yes," the woman answered as she looked at Leia from her hospital gown and right down to her naked toes.

"Which way is High Command?"

"Which way is what?"

"High Command," Leia repeated but got the same puzzled look. "The executive offices?" The woman shifted on her feet and looked down the hallway, as Leia added, "Where is whoever is in charge?"

"This is a Medical Frigate, the Medical Director is in charge," the woman answered with an aggravated shake of her head and then looking down at Leia's toes again, she added, "What room are you in?"

"I'm right down this way. I was just heading back," Leia pointed down the corner to the left, as she slowly edged herself around the corridor and replied, "Thanks."

Leia begged her legs to move faster and it did seem that the more she asked of them the better they began to respond to her. When she reached the next crossroads she ventured away from the wall, walked straight across and continued on.

She formulated her next move as she approached another med tech and said, "Excuse me."

"Yeah."

"Which way to the lifts for the hangar bay?"

Again, the med tech looked down at Leia's feet and before he could say anything, Leia offered, "Physical therapy, my doctor's a real pain about it."

"Oh," he answered and then looked up at her and turned a little to the side to point down the corridor to the right of Leia, "Right passed that triage area, you'll find the lifts. Take 'em down to seventeen for the closest hangar."

A rush of adrenaline shot through her system when the turbo lift doors opened to the familiar montage of X-wings, B-wings and freighters. Hobbling through the hangar, she missed the steady support of the corridor walls as she found herself struggling just to keep a straight line. Recognizing a face amongst a group of men in front of her, she did her best to control the trembling in her legs as she walked up and said, "Hobbie?"

" _Princess?_ I heard that we'd found you! What are you doing walking around?"

The room began to swirl around her and she concentrated on Hobbie's voice and his familiar face.

"You're looking a little pale," Hobbie added.

She could hear the concern in his voice and the muscles in her legs began to tremble violently. She opened her mouth to speak but her body refused to cooperate.

"Uh-oh, wait a minute."

She heard Hobbie's words spinning around in her head along with the rest of the hangar.

His hands were on her or she had fallen into him, she couldn't be sure, but she heard him say, "Okay, here you go."

Still unable to force her dried mouth to say anything, she just rested her head on Hobbie's broad shoulder and he scooped her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing.

As Hobbie began walking, he said, "Let's get you somewhere to sit."

Shutting her eyes she prayed to the goddess to help her _not_ throw up on the one person that seemed unable to shut up. She felt him walking and then the noises of the hangar dropped away and she felt him set her down on a cool surface.

"Hey. Can you hear me?"

She was sitting up and she could feel Hobbie's breath tickling the tiny hairs on her face, but her vision refused to put all those tiny dots together into anything resembling Derek "Hobbie" Klivian.

"Alright, let's lay you down."

"Where's Han?" Leia croaked out, it seemed a good a question as any.

Hobbie seemed to freeze up and as he pulled away from her he drawled out, "Ooooh."

 _Dammit to all hells!_ The frustration of not getting any answers sent hot blood coursing through her veins and her mind began to sharpen once again. She sat up abruptly and placed her hands on Hobbie's shoulders, blinking furiously until she could recognize the fear in his face, "Tell me what's going on, Hobbs! And that's an order!"

"We don't know where Solo is, ma'am. He's been missing as long as you have. That's all I know. I swear."

"Where's Mon Mothma? And Rieekan? Where's the Alliance's headquarters?"

Leia heard him expel a deep breath and she could make out the shadow of his hand as it crawled across his face, "There ain't no Alliance… _anymore_ …ma'am."

Her mouth fell open and the bottom dropped out of her world. The urge to vomit hit her like a punch in the gut and she felt Hobbie grab her shoulders and gently lie her down. _No_.

"The Rogue Squadron, we're just a search and rescue team now, that's all."

 _No_.

"Mon Mothma and all them big shots drew up some sort of peace treaty."

 _No_.

"With that Grand Moff guy who slaughtered us on Coruscant."

 _No! Shut up, Hobbie!_

"But we don't hear nothing from anybody anymore 'cept the Imps."

Leia leaned over and emptied the contents of her stomach all over Hobbie's shoes and as she rolled over onto her back she said, "That's enough, Hobbs." And then draping her arm over her eyes, she whispered, "I've heard enough."

 _ **A/N: FYI: My only condition from Zyra was that Leia could NOT fall in love with Wedge. As if!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Hobbie had helped get Leia back to her room, his vomit-covered shoes squeaking as he walked down the hallway. Damn it, if she couldn't keep some nourishment down, she was never going to be able to get around on her own!

Once her head stopped spinning, she looked up to see Hobbie's brown eyes mirroring her own. A part of her wanted things to end right now. Once you receive enough bad news, it gets harder and harder to tolerate any more. But she needed to know…

"Hobbie, how long has it been? How long was I gone?"

He looked at the floor before he looked back at her, not sure if he was supposed to keep the information to himself. He quite obviously knew that Princess Leia was not one to sit back and accept silence. "About three standard months," he said.

Perhaps the news should've been surprising, but Leia found herself accepting this truth for what it was, knowing that it had certainly felt like it had been that long. Three months ago she had been with Han in the senate building on Coruscant when the explosion hit. Three months ago she had run to him while he lay unconscious on the floor, his head bleeding from falling debris. Three months ago she had tried desperately to cling to him while she was dragged away by some unknown force, leaving him helpless and alone.

This was why she had been somewhat relieved to learn that she'd been told that Han was _missing_ rather than dead. Although the last image she had of him was face down on the floor, she hoped that whatever fate he had suffered would not be worse than the death she'd feared for him. She knew the kind of life she had endured over the past three months – if you could call it a life. She hoped Han had not had to suffer similarly.

"Are you gonna be all right, Leia?" Hobbie asked, breaking the long silence.

She looked up at the pilot, quickly finding the fiery determination sparking again inside of her. "That depends, Hobbie."

Right away she could tell he was nervous as to where this was going. "On what?" he asked.

"On how quick you can get me out of here."

He shook his head immediately. "Oh, no. It's all over the frigate that you're supposed to stay right here."

"Hobbie, I know I've been gone for a while, but since when have I been one to follow orders?"

The pilot's face fell, knowing that there was no way he was going to win this argument. "Will you at least let me change my shoes first?"

Leia smiled, noting that this was the first occasion she'd had to do so in a long time. "Make it quick."

The young pilot disappeared down the hallway, and Leia walked into the 'fresher to relieve herself and drink a bit of actual, cold water, thoroughly enjoying the feel of it sliding down her throat and pooling in her still-empty stomach.

Opening the small linen closet in the room, she pulled out a set of light green medical scrubs, throwing them on along with a head covering and a doctor's mask to completely conceal her identity. The hardest part of all of this was probably going to be staying upright as she attempted to casually walk down the hallway.

 _"I don't know. Fly casual!"_ She winced at the memory that flashed into her brain, seeing Han sitting in front of her leading that heroic mission to Endor. She could almost smell the aftershave he always liked to use, a mix of mountain air and morning dew. For a moment she felt like she could reach out and run her fingers through his hair…

But not yet. This would not be the first time she'd mounted a rescue mission to save Han, but at least that time she had the distinct advantage of knowing where to find him. While the details still remained vague, she wondered if there was more information she wasn't being told. Whatever the case, she was not going to sit back and let the galaxy move on without her while Han was missing.

"Ready?"

She jumped at the sound of Hobbie in the doorway, wearing a much cleaner pair of shoes.

Having no idea what the next step in her plan might be, she responded anyway: "Let's go."

 _ **A/N: Short and sweet one this time. Push's condition for me was: "Leia is not supposed to leave the Medical Frigate. Meaning: orders have been given to keep her on the frigate. Doesn't mean she can't escape or stay put - it's up to you."**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

Walking towards the doorway and to Hobbie, Leia stopped and said, "Wait a minute," as she looked down at her arm and the needles still sticking into her flesh. Closing her eyes, she gave one quick yank and with a sharp intake of breath she opened her eyes just in time to see Hobbie getting sprayed with her bright, red blood all over his orange flight suit.

While Leia shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sheepish grin, Hobbie muttered, "Um, if we could get through the rest of the day without any more of your internal fluids spraying all over me - that would be great."

"I'll see what I can do," she said as her stomach lurched at the sight of her own blood. "But I'm not making any promises."

They approached the hangar and Hobbie whispered "Just stay close behind me." And as they ducked between a couple of Y-Wings he glanced back at her and asked, "What are you certified on, again?"

"Well, I don't know if I can find any of my certs right at this moment. But let's just say I can fly whatever you can get me."

"Right," he muttered and then added, somewhat excitedly, "Oh, what was I thinking? This way."

Unsure if Hobbie was reacting to her boasting or if he had figured something out, Leia followed close behind him either way, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. When Hobbie came to an abrupt halt, Leia slammed right into the back of him and he turned around and shot her a look, but Leia was too busy letting her heart drop down to her toes – her eyes on something right over Hobbie's shoulder.

Leia whispered, "Is that…?"

"Yeah, I should have thought of it first off, kinda a no-brainer, huh?"

It was Luke's X-Wing.

"What about Commander Skywalker, Hobbie? What's the status on his whereabouts?"

"I don't really know. He wasn't on Coruscant when everything went down, but somehow we ended up with his X-wing and no sign of him."

"Is that Artoo?"

The droid encased in the X-wing's body spun its dome and whistled and Leia felt a small smile creep across her face. _One down, four to go_.

Hobbie turned around and then said quickly, "You better get going, Your Highness. We're a medical frigate so you won't get much resistance once you're in the air, but the longer you're here-"

"Gotcha," Leia replied as she began to ascend the X-wing's boarding ladder.

She sank into the seat and felt her brother's presence wrap around her like a blanket of strength and encouragement. She shut her eyes and concentrated on his life force, reaching out tentatively with that same feeling she had stumbled upon in Bespin. Taking a deep breath she expelled the disappointment she felt at not being able to sense anything, other than that Luke had been in this cockpit – something any number of people could have told her without one bit of Force sensitivity.

Artoo let out a shriek behind her and she lowered the helmet on her head. She felt the X-wing rock on its struts and she realized someone was ascending the ladder. Artoo's shrills became more panicked and his dome rocked back and forth. Snapping her harness in place, Leia scanned the control panel searching for the hatch closure. She flipped the switch and heard the hiss of the pneumatic lifters lowering the hatch, when a hand grabbed the edge of the transparisteel encasement and stopped its progress.

"Artoo, get us moving!" Leia yelled as she spun around to look at who her interloper was.

She was met with the same hazel eyes that had saved her days ago and as he slapped a blaster in her hand, he held out a flimsi and said, "Meet me here."

Wedge was gone before she could even respond and the hatch on the X-wing was closed and pressurized before she could comprehend what had just happened. Looking down at the flimsi, she read the coordinates and then turned her attention to the controls of the X-wing and lifted herself up and out of the hangar. Hobbie had been right, she met with no resistance - other than a few grounds crew waving their arms at her - and she was out in the cold expanse of space without incident.

When she had reached a safe distance from the medical frigate, she looked back at the flimsi and punched in the coordinates. It wasn't until she was in the safety of hyperspace that she closed her eyes and let herself feel the faintness and nausea that still plagued her. A beep from Artoo prompted her to open her eyes and read the message crawling across the X-wing's display.

"It has been too long," the X-wing's computer translated the little droid's beeps and whistles for her.

"Yes, it has, Artoo," Leia replied. But the droid's words weighed heavily upon her mind, the several different meanings that could be implied by them scrolling through her own internal translator. _It has been too long, Artoo. Let's just hope it's not too late_ …

 _ **A/N: My condition from Zyra was: "no matter what happens, whether anyone stays or goes, Hobbie can't go with her". Zyra was apparently very worried about the other men in Leia's life during Han's absence...**_


	6. Chapter 6

After somehow managing to get down a ration bar she found in the cockpit, Leia had actually fallen asleep. The trip only took a few hours, and Artoo's insistent beeping that awakened her told her that they were arriving.

She stretched as much as she could in the cramped cockpit, wondering momentarily how anyone could stand to fly in one of those things for long stretches of time when most pilots had longer legs than she did.

Her brief sleep had been dreamless, and judging how she felt upon awakening, also not very restful. Wiping the fog out of her eyes, she reached for the controls and her vision zeroed in on the large battle cruiser hovering in the distance. These were the coordinates that Wedge had sent her to, and this was where she hoped to get some more answers.

Once docked in the hangar bay, she exited the cockpit and noted that the dizziness she had been experiencing every time she tried to lift her head was finally subsiding, likely having something to do with finally being able to keep down some sustenance.

By the time her feet hit the ground after descending the ladder, she saw Wedge approaching her from his craft. "Come on, Leia. Let's go."

Tired of not getting answers, she held his arm and stopped him. "No, Wedge. Please, just tell me what's going on. Where's Luke? Does anyone have any idea where they've taken Han?"

She could see that Wedge understood her concerns and he looked off in the distance before turning back to her. "We don't know where Luke is, at least not right now. When we last saw him, he had gone down to Coruscant after the battle to look for you and Han, but he found out you were taken. Apparently he did find Chewbacca and C-3PO. They took off in the _Falcon_ to look for you. But we haven't heard from them in weeks."

Leia took a deep breath, unsure of whether this was good news or bad news. "And nobody has any idea where Han is?"

Wedge looked down at his feet and shook his head sadly. "No. I'm sorry. They took who they could from the rubble, hoping that with enough important hostages they could force the Rebellion to sign this ridiculous peace treaty. I don't know what happened to Mothma and Madine. It's like they just got tired of fighting. How many battles can we take without winning the war, you know? How many Death Stars do we have to take down before it's over?"

Leia reached up and put a hand on Wedge's shoulder. "I don't know, Wedge. But we have to keep at it, you know?"

He looked up at her and gave her half a smile. "Funny you should say that," he said.

"Oh, no. What are you up to? Where are we?"

Wedge took her arm and pulled her to follow him. "Think of it as a rebellion against the Rebellion, if you will."

Leia just shook her head in amazement. It was nice to know that even in her absence at least some of these people understood the importance of taking down the Empire. The mere idea that they had signed a peace treaty sounded ridiculous. If she knew anything, she knew that the Empire's idea of a peace treaty was simply getting the Rebellion to surrender and follow orders.

While obviously some of High Command had caved in to their demands, the galaxy would not be able to function under the rule of the Empire, whether the Emperor or Vader were still around or not. There was always another Sith Lord waiting to take over…

Wedge led her to a large briefing room where a few humans and Admiral Ackbar were standing around. "Leia!" She heard a familiar voice exclaim.

It was General Rieekan. He had never been one to show much emotion, but he couldn't keep himself from rushing over and pulling her into a fatherly hug. Leia had forgotten how nice a warm hug could feel, and she returned it with what little strength she could muster.

The general leaned back to look at her. "You don't look well. Are you all right to be walking around? We were so worried we'd lost you."

"I've been better, but I think I'll be all right, General. Please, just tell me what's going on."

Rieekan heaved a sigh. "It's been hell since you were gone, Princess. There's no better word to describe it. High Command argued for hours over whether or not to sign this so-called peace treaty. They had us over a barrel. They told us if we signed they'd release you."

"Carlist, you know as well as I do that one life isn't more important than the millions who are now under the rule of the Empire because of that decision."

Rieekan shook his head. "Leia, you've already given so much to this cause, we didn't want you to give your life as well."

"You know I would have if given the choice."

He nodded. "I know. But would you have given General Solo's life? We've been told that they have him, and if we attempt to dishonor the treaty, they will torture him to death."

Leia felt all of the blood drain from her face and had to rest a hand on Rieekan's shoulder to steady herself. "So you know Han's alive?"

Rieekan shook his head. "Honestly, we don't know for certain. But we didn't want to take the chance. Not yet, anyway. Not before we at least got you free. Commander Skywalker has been out trying to find him, but we lost track of him as well."

Leia was starting to wonder if it would've been such a bad thing to have been left in her cell to die. "Carlist, I think I need to sit down."

 _ **A/N: Push's condition to me was: Wedge has to know where Luke was last headed when he left them**_.


	7. Chapter 7

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

It wasn't very often that Leia succumbed to the deep, dark temptation of self-pity and despair and as it crashed over her while Rieekan gently lowered her into a nearby chair, she tried to fight it with all she had. The problem was, she didn't have much. There was very little fight left in the Rebel Princess. And her pillars of strength, Han and Luke and Chewie, were stripped from her like her very life as she knew it had been over three years ago.

The distinct possibility that she would spend her entire life and perhaps give her life in the fight against the Empire was not a new thought for Leia. It had been, in fact, what drove her - this will to fight another day against the dark forces that had not only destroyed her world but held the entire galaxy in its evil clutches. But to what end? She now wondered. If it was at the loss of all she cared about, again, she wasn't sure she could go on.

"Leia, maybe you should get some rest," General Rieekan offered as the Princess sat silently slumped in the chair they had brought for her.

"No. I want to find Han. And Luke and Chewie," she said as she tried to lift herself up to her feet.

With a gentle hand on her shoulder, Rieekan prevented her from standing as he said, "We've got our best men on that, Leia. You can't go traipsing around the galaxy, especially in the state you're in. You'll do more good for us here-"

"Doing what, exactly? Ordering supplies?" Leia replied, the fire in her belly coming out in the tone of her voice and in the flicker of her eyes as she glared at her old friend.

Rieekan's eyes were soft and sad. "Leia, our leadership ranks have been disseminated by dissertation and…death, we need all hands on deck… _here._ "

Leia's searched behind Rieekan and found Wedge, their eyes locking for one brief moment and as she took a deep long breath, she looked at Rieekan and replied, "Alright. You're right. Maybe I should get some rest."

Rieekan walked her down the halls of an empty corridor and palmed open an executive suite. After some soft words of encouragement, he left Leia alone in her cabin. The Princess looked around the room and sighed. She walked towards the bunk and picked up the standard-issued chrono from the side table. Setting the alarm, she pulled the sheets back and crawled into her bed. She was asleep before she could even think of her next move.

When the chrono's alarm sounded, Leia sat up straight in her bunk and silenced it. She looked around the room and then ran her hand over her face. At least she had slept well. Rifling through the closet, Leia found some Alliance fatigues that she thought might actually fit her. Palming herself into the 'fresher, Leia froze mid-step. She stood in the doorway, her mouth hanging open in shock as she dropped her clothes on the floor at her feet.

 _My hair!_

Leia had almost forgotten about her unsolicited haircut and the sight of her choppy new hairdo was startling. And as her wide eyes continued to study the rest of her body, she didn't like what she saw. Her cheeks were sunken in and drawn, her lips were cracked and dry and her eyes carried black, puffy sacks beneath them. _No wonder Rieekan didn't want to let me out of his sight. I look like the walking dead._

She turned to the shower and started the cycle. After she had showered and dressed, Leia grabbed a backpack from the supply trunk and headed to the suite's kitchenette. She stuffed all the water and ration bars she could fit into the bag and then headed back to the living area and drew a cap over her head. Glancing in the mirror that hung on the wall near the door, Leia now saw the advantages to her emaciated form and short hair. She looked nothing like her former self.

Palming open the cabin door, Leia let out a quick yelp as Wedge Antilles fell backwards into her room nearly knocking her over. Apparently he had been camped out in front of her cabin and had fallen asleep waiting for her.

Laying flat on his back and quite awake now, Wedge looked up at the Princess and smiled as he asked, "Where're we going?"

Leia wasted no energy in arguing with the Rogue Squadron Pilot; it wasn't actually that bad of an idea for her to refrain from gallivanting around the galaxy on this crusade alone. It also paid off to have Wedge with her when they reached the hangar, the nightshift security detail took the Squadron Leader at his word when he told them that he had clearance to take a Y-Wing. Leia grabbed Artoo as Wedge distracted them with questions and then snuck around and joined Wedge undetected.

Once they were in the safety of space, Wedge spoke to Leia through their headsets, "Any ideas on a destination, Leia?"

Leia looked out into space for a moment. And before she knew what she was going to say, she heard her voice saying, "I was thinking of starting at the beginning."

"That's always a good place to start," she heard Wedge answer over her earpiece.

She watched Wedge as he punched the coordinates into the navicomputer and then she felt the familiar sensation of her body being pressed back into its seat as the Y-Wing slid smoothly into hyperspace. She closed her eyes and thought of Han, of his arms surrounding her and of his lips on hers, his eyes were the last thing her mind's eye saw before she succumbed yet again to the sweet pull of sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Leia spent the duration of the trip dozing off and dreaming of Han. She saw him smiling at her, pulling her into a protective embrace that caused a warmth to course through her entire body – a sensation she hadn't felt in months. And once or twice, he'd say or do things to her that would cause her to blush when she awakened and remembered that she was in the cockpit of a Y-wing with a different Corellian than the one she really needed to see.

Wedge noticed her stirring and spoke, "We're almost there, Leia. You should try to get down another ration bar before we land. I can't be expected to carry you around the whole time."

Leia laughed. "Don't worry, Wedge. You just give me a little bit of hope and I can run a hundred kilometers."

"Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest," he responded.

Leia did not particularly love the idea of going back to Coruscant, but this was the source of all of the unpleasantness that had been endured since her capture. It was the last place she'd seen Han alive. It seemed like just yesterday she was here doing pretty much the same thing: rescuing the man she loved.

They had landed near the Senate building, the place where Leia had been taken. Without knowing what she expected to find, she walked through the remnants, noting the debris still scattered about. The Imperial activity had moved away from this battle-worn area, so they were free to walk around without fear of being noticed. This side of the planet had been all but abandoned.

The vast building smelled of dust and stale air. It was eerie to look up toward the podium and recall all of the speeches and votes that had taken place there, only now to see it look like ruins from some ancient time. It hadn't been that long ago.

That fact was made even more clear when Leia walked forward through what was left of the aisle. She remembered Han being in the second row of seats when she last saw him, lying on the floor. Bending to her knees at the spot that had been so clearly etched into her mind all this time, she placed her fingers on the floor and touched the spot that was red with what could only have been Han's now-dried blood.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat, reminding herself that the absence of his body in this case was a good thing.

"Leia?" She heard Wedge behind her, keeping a careful distance and allowing her a moment to compose herself. He must've known what had caught her attention.

She wiped at her eyes to prevent the wetness from spilling down her cheeks before standing up and turning to Wedge, the fiery determination burning in her belly. "Do you think he's still here, Wedge? Do you think he's even still alive?"

The pilot shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. But I do know that I'll help you do whatever it takes to get him back if we can."

She smiled weakly. "Thanks, Wedge. So, what's the plan?"

"Well, believe it or not, it seems that good ol' Mon Mothma is an established leader here, if you can call it that. And by leader of course I mean that they treat her nice as long as she does whatever they tell her."

Leia sighed. "Right. So I disappear and then they just take the first opportunity to surrender."

"Well, technically, agree to a peace treaty, but pretty much, yes."

"Great. So you want us to just waltz up there and ask to see her?"

"Leia, planning for stuff like this isn't really my strong suit."

"Right. I'm sorry, Wedge. I'm still getting used to all of this. Okay, let's go to find a part of this planet that hasn't been blasted to pieces."

The two refugees flew back towards the Imperial Palace, where the new government was becoming established. Leia hadn't had much opportunity to walk around without the fear of being noticed. While she already missed her long tresses, she was enjoying the fact that the short hair under her cap had left her virtually unrecognizable. Her hair always seemed to be the first thing people noticed about her.

At least, that's what she thought. No sooner had they gotten out of the Y-wing and headed for the palace than a pair of stormtroopers looked up and she heard one exclaim, "Look, it's that princess! I thought she was dead!"

"Not yet," the other responded, raising his blaster. "But she's gonna be!"

Leia froze, unsure of why she suddenly found herself unable to move. Then she felt the force of a large body ramming into hers and pushing her out of the way of the green laser bolt that had been headed right for her chest.

Wedge collapsed on top of her, only he wasn't quick to get up. There was too much blood.

"Wedge, stay with me!"

His eyes looked up at her sorrowfully. "I can't," he barely managed to croak out.

"Not you, too, Wedge. Come on," Leia said, trying to hold his head up but feeling it growing more limp in her hands. "I can't take much more of this."

"I'm sorry," Wedge said in a whisper.

"No, Wedge," Leia pleaded. "Wedge?"

His head lolled back and the life disappeared from his eyes. The pilot had always been a good friend to her, and at the moment was the only friend she seemed to have left. And now he was gone, too. What was it the universe had against her?

She rested his head back against the ground and willed herself not to cry. All of the tears had already been shed and there was nothing left. That, and two stormtroopers were headed straight for her. With a speed she didn't know she possessed, she took her blaster and got both of them right between the eyes with two, quick blasts. She hadn't felt that kind of fury in a long time.

She wanted to help Wedge, to at least take his body somewhere so that they could later honor his memory. But she heard more stormtroopers headed her way. Reaching down and brushing her hand along his forehead, she leaned in and whispered, "I'm sorry, Wedge. And thank you."

She stood up and began to run.

 _ **A/N: Don't be mad at me for killing Wedge! Push made me do it, as that was her condition. To be honest, this was my second try at writing this chapter. She gave it to me and I was so unhappy with the first go at it that I asked her if I could try again, so I redid it. I wasn't quite sure what she meant by "the beginning" and initially sent them back to Tatooine. I don't know why. They wound up in a cantina and Wedge got shot. Push's first comment back was, "Wedge got taken out by random blaster fire?" Yeah, I couldn't kill him that way, so I tried to do a bit of a better job and she told me that she was thinking Coruscant so that's what we wound up with. I'm still bitter about her making me kill Wedge. *A/N 2017: I'm not bitter about that anymore, since I wrote this chapter at least 6 years ago. I'm over it now.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

Once on the busy streets of Coruscant, Leia slowed her pace and tried to blend in with the local foot traffic. After her long sprint from the hangar, she began to feel faint and ducking into an alley, she held herself up against the wall and emptied the contents of her stomach. Stepping back towards the opposite wall, Leia leaned against it as she tried to steady her spinning, pounding head. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and turned to look at the street just steps away from her.

Men and women of all different shapes, sizes and species, bustled along the busy street. There were couples holding hands and mother's holding babies, men with datapads hitched under their arms and women with colorful clothing and matching shoes and purses. These were the people that Leia was fighting for. Yet no one seemed to be paying the price but her. What did it matter to them who controlled the galaxy? What did it matter to her anymore?

Shaking her head, she fought the now all-too familiar temptation of despair. She looked down at herself, she still wore the same ill-fitting Alliance fatigues. Although they were somewhat muted and in descript, they certainly stood out amongst the civilian attire on the streets of Coruscant. She had no credits to purchase clothing. She had to find someone soon.

Taking a chance to ask a couple of questions along the way, Leia finally settled in front of a building and leaned up against a shelter for the mass transit system. She kept her eyes on the door of the building and bided her time trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Leia's breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of who she had been waiting for and the Princess straightened up and took a step towards the approaching woman.

Their eyes locked for a moment and when the woman did not speak, Leia fixed herself to flee. Something inside of her planted her to the spot and she could hear her blood rushing through her ears, drowning out the myriad of sounds that littered the city all around her.

The woman's eyes darted to the street and Leia's mouth dropped open slightly.

"Get in the car," the woman said as she held out her hand towards the street.

Leia turned to see a driver standing in front of a hover car, holding the door open in waiting. Leia walked towards the car and slid into the seat without ever making eye contact with the driver. The woman slid in beside her and the door was shut behind them.

"You shouldn't have come here," Mon Mothma spoke quickly as the driver walked around the car toward the driver's seat.

"I need your help."

"I'm in no position to help you, I'm afraid."

The driver entered the hover car and the two passengers rode along in silence.

Several turns later, Mon Mothma spoke to the driver and said, "Take us out to the lake country, please. My friend has never been to Coruscant."

After a long, silent drive, the view of one of Coruscant's vast lakes appeared to their right, the sun setting in the distance shimmered against the delicate ripples of the deep lake water. Mon Mothma directed her driver to pull over to a clearing near the lake and the two women exited the vehicle and began to walk towards the lake's edge.

"I feared you were dead," Mon Mothma whispered after a few moments of silence.

"Feared or hoped?" Leia spat back with a venom that surprised her.

"I have not given up on our vision, Leia. But my hands are tied."

Leia stopped walking and spun to face Mon Mothma as she replied, "You will never see my hands tied unless I am laid to rest."

"There are other honorable ways to fight besides dying, Leia."

Leia stared at her for a moment and then said, "I need clothes and probably a ship. And I need to know if you know anything about Han, Luke, or Chewbacca."

"As far as I know General Solo was never taken off-planet."

"Han is here?"

"I've seen him, it's been weeks though and I don't know how reliable my information is, I'm certain they do not trust me, but as far as my records indicate – yes."

Leia spun away from her and held her hand up to her mouth. The emotions swirled up inside of her like a maelstrom and she felt as if she may vomit again. Unable to stop them, the tears fell out her eyes like tiny drops of hope freeing themselves from the depths of despair. Leia looked out at the lake as she wrapped her arms around herself. She felt Mon Mothma place her hand on her shoulder but Leia showed no reaction.

Mon Mothma's voice cracked as she said, "He was tortured and…"

Leia turned toward the elder woman and looked at her, the tears in her eyes drying up and the resolve within her building to a crescendo as she said, " _And_ what?"

"He was told you were dead. I couldn't tell him any different. All records indicated that you were executed."

"But he's alive."

"I can't say for sure."

Turning away from Mon, Leia looked out at the lake and whispered, "He is."

After a few moments of silence, Mon Mothma spoke, "I can get you clothes and a ship. And I'll see what I can find out about Luke and Chewbacca."

"You saw him once. You should be able to see him again."

"Leia, it would not be wise. It would draw suspicion."

"You could take me with you. I could disguise myself as one of your aides."

"Leia, I cannot be so foolhardy."

Spinning around towards the elder woman, the fire flashed in Leia's eyes once again as she said, "Afraid to get your hands dirty, Your Excellency? Afraid your life has become more important than the lives of those that you are fighting for? You told me yourself that once it becomes clear that you cannot fight with words and reason, than you must fight with strength and resolve. Where is that woman? Where is your strength and resolve?"


	10. Chapter 10

The older woman looked back at Leia with sadness and regret. Leia wondered briefly if someday she'd grow old and tired of fighting. She didn't think life would be worth living if that was what she had to look forward to. Especially if that life didn't involve Han Solo.

"Please, Mon. Whatever the risks involved, I'll take responsibility."

The woman heaved a sigh, and it seemed that she could surrender to more than just the Empire. "We must be careful."

Leia felt her heart beating just a little faster at the possibility of seeing Han again.

Mon Mothma had supplied Leia with the simple, maroon robes that an aide of hers might wear. The hood would help conceal her identity, and all Leia had to do was keep her head down and try to contain the anticipation of having Han back in her arms.

They walked determinedly through the large building. This vast, stark place was used to house prisoners. It was similar to where Leia had been held on… where was she held, anyway? She realized she'd forgotten to even ask. Not that it really mattered.

They approached the end of a long hallway, manned with a single guard. With the new regime, there hadn't been much worry of intruders. All of the fight had left them.

Leia kept her head down and tried to breathe evenly, willing herself not to lurch for the door. Mon Mothma had to do the talking. "We need to see the prisoner in cell 3487."

The storm trooper looked up, then Mon held out her ID chip. He inspected it closely enough for Leia to take the opportunity to pull her blaster out and stun him before he knew what hit him.

The armored man hit the ground and Leia looked up to make sure nobody had seen before grabbing the key card from his utility belt.

Working fast, she ran it through the scanner and saw the door open, revealing a small, black cell without so much as a slab for a bed. The only light in the room came in through the door and Leia's eyes were drawn to the figure lying on his side facing the wall with his legs curled up near his chest.

His feet were bare and he wore no shirt, exposing a back covered in the deep purple of healing bruises and a few red welts from other forms of torture. His hair was longer than she remembered it, but the dingy, once-gold stripes running down the sides of his pants made her certain that this was the prisoner she was looking for.

Her heart leapt into her throat and she realized that he hadn't acknowledged her presence. She wondered briefly if she was too late.

"Leave me alone," she heard him weakly mutter to the wall.

Leia moved closer, almost unable to believe the scene before her was real. Hearing the footsteps, he spoke again, a little more insistently this time. "I told you bastards to leave me alone. There's nothing left for you to take from me."

As Leia got closer and her eyes adjusted she could see the distinct outline of his spine and the ribs attached to it. He'd given up.

"Han?" She spoke his name much more softly than she intended, but the lump in her throat prevented her from saying it any more clearly.

She saw his head lift up just slightly, as though he was hearing something he didn't think possible. She swallowed and tried to speak again, moving closer. "Han!"

He rolled over slowly, and she saw his face, haggard and sunken in under weeks' worth of beard growth. But the hazel eyes looking back at her were unmistakable, and she didn't think she had ever been so happy to see him.

She pulled back the hood that concealed her identity, and he looked back at her, still in shock. "Your hair!"

Leia laughed through the tears that had started to spill over, collapsing on her knees next to his emaciated body. "Look who's talking," she said, running her fingers through the tangled mop on top of his head.

She cupped his face in her hands and just looked at him. His voice was shaky and quiet, definitely not the cocky ex-smuggler she lost three months ago. "Is it really you?"

She brushed some unruly hair from his forehead, he was still lying flat on his back. "Scruffy-looking nerf herder."

He smiled weakly and she leaned down and gently kissed his dry lips over and over. When she finally pulled away, she noticed the tears spilling down his face, mirroring her own. "They told me you were executed," Han said in barely more than a whisper, reaching up a cold, clammy hand to rest against her cheek.

"You should've known better," she teased, pressing her hand to his. "Can you sit up? We have to try and get you out of here," she said, placing her arms under his shoulders and helping to pull him into a seated position. It had been too long since she had held him in her arms, but she was shocked at the ease of lifting his upper body. And she wasn't exactly at her strongest, either.

His eyes clenched shut and brought a hand up to his face. It seemed that he could relate to the dizziness and nausea she had been experiencing since her release from captivity. This was not going to be easy. Unable to hold back any longer, she leaned in and hugged him tightly, feeling his arms wrap familiarly around her and his head come to rest on her shoulder. He lacked the strength that he normally had, but her heart nearly melted in his embrace.

"Gods, I missed you," she said into his neck.

"I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again," he replied.

She wanted to remain in his arms forever, but they still had some escaping to do. She finally pulled away and looked back at him, wiping the moisture from his eyes with her thumbs. "Let's get you out of here and make sure you don't have to miss me like that again, okay?"

Han simply nodded, and she stood and then leaned down and extended her arms to help him up.

He leaned heavily against her side, and she looked at this mangy man clad only in his spacer's pants and realized that they couldn't possibly get out of there like that.

"Mon!" Leia called out, just loud enough for her to hear at her post outside the door. "Bring that stormtrooper in here!"

 _ **A/N: Push's condition to me was that if she found him, his first words to her had to be, "Your hair!" I didn't have to find him, but I couldn't take it anymore! I also sort of cheated, as those weren't necessarily the first words he said, but they were the first words he said to her, as in he knew he was talking to Leia.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

Han Solo had made a promise, years and years ago, that he would _never_ , _ever_ wear a storm trooper's uniform ever again. Steadying himself against Leia and lifting his tired, wobbly legs into the uniform, he made the promise to himself once again for what he hoped would be the last time. Once dressed, the trio left the stormtrooper in Han's cell and made for the exit.

Han walked a step behind Leia, one arm rested on her shoulder and the other arm cradled his storm trooper's rifle. His muscles twitched and jumped and it took all of his energy and concentration just to hold the heavy rifle and continue to move his feet. Continuous waves of nausea washed over him and his breathing became increasingly more shallow and quick as he worked his way through the urge to vomit.

"We're approaching the main gate, are you alright?" Leia spoke without turning to look at him, but even through the sound filters of his helmet, he could hear the worry laced through every syllable.

"I'm fine." Having Leia beside him, having his hand resting on her shoulder, Han felt like he could take on the universe. He just hoped he wouldn't really have to.

Approaching the gate, he took his hand off of Leia's shoulder and followed the two women closely. Mon Mothma spoke to the two perimeter guards and Han watched as they eyed the threesome suspiciously. Any questions, any hesitations, they had agreed to resort to Plan B. Han shuffled on his feet, but then he noticed Leia's hand, palm facing him, fingers splayed in a discreet signal to hold off.

Han watched as one of the guards disappeared into the small building that housed the controls to the gates along with their communication and emergency alert systems. If Leia's hunch to hold off was wrong, now that this guard was out of their sights, that mistake could cost them very dearly. Exhaling a heavy breath, Han flinched when the large gate blocking their exit began to slowly creak open. _Thank the gods_.

The trio climbed into Mon Mothma's hover car. Han heard Mon call out an address to her driver and as the car sped away from the prison, the trio rode along in silence. Han had faith that the two women, or at least the one currently pressed up against him, had some sort of plan. As the car meandered deeper into the streets of Coruscant, he could tell that they were entering a lower rent district. He noticed Mon Mothma shuffle in her seat slightly right before the car slowed to rest in front of a dingy, low rise building.

The driver exited the car and circled around to open the door on Han's side. He stepped out of the vehicle and Leia followed him. The driver closed the door, got back into the vehicle and the car sped off.

"C'mon," Leia whispered as she walked towards the building.

Han followed her into the foyer, then onto the turbo lifts and to the fifth floor. They walked down the dimly lit corridor in silence and even through Han's air filters, he could smell the stale, mildewed air that permeated the interior of the building. Leia stopped in front of a door marked five hundred-and-twelve and swiped a card against the scan grid. The door rattled and squeaked as it slid open and Han followed Leia inside.

He began to take off his helmet as Leia locked the door. He coughed and wheezed a little once his head was free. Leia spun around and looked at him. Their eyes locked and the only sound in the room was his breath mixed with hers and the sound of his heart booming in his chest. She took one step towards him and he closed the distance, lowering his head to hers and kissing her deeply. This is what he lived for, this was what he had almost given up hope for. Her lips on his, her in his arms. Time stood still for the few moments they let it.

But they were far from free and Han's mind was already racing forward. Breaking the kiss, he pulled her into his arms and sighed as he asked, "What's the plan?"

She held him in her arms, her chest resting against the hard armor that surrounded him. She let out a deep breath and said, "Mon's supposed to pick us up within the hour about five blocks from here."

"But?" he asked, knowing by the sound of her voice that she was not thoroughly convinced on their path forward.

"But…something isn't right."

Releasing his arms from surrounding her she took a step back and looked at him. Standing in a moment of silence, she continued, "Rieekan said that they had their best men looking for you, yet I found you within hours of arriving. Someone's lying."

"You think Carlist lied to you?"

"I don't know. It's either Carlist or Mon."

"What do you want to do?"

"Mon's supposed to pick us up in her starship, at least she would get us off of Coruscant and then we could take our chances there."

" _But_ …"

"But…I've got a bad feeling about it."

"If they shut Coruscant down, we'll be hard-pressed to get off-planet."

Her mouth opened as if she wanted to speak but she faltered. Taking a deep breath she steadied herself and said, "I left Artoo in the public hangar."

He looked at her for a moment. Han had little feelings for droids, but Artoo and Threepio had become exceptions for him. He took a deep breath and said, "What do you want to do?"

"I don't think we should trust Mon."

"Then we won't."

"But I don't know how we'll ever get off-planet without her."

"We'll figure it out."

She looked at him for a second and then said, "There's clothes in the 'fresher, we should get you changed and then…we'll decide."

He raised his hand and rested it against her cheek. His hand was dark with dirt and he noticed how pale and hollow her cheek looked underneath it. He swallowed hard and asked, "Are you alright?"

Her eyes fell down to the floor between them and she whispered, "They killed Wedge. He came here with me."

He pulled her to him and they stood in silence. The loss of a friend was never easy, but Han knew how that loss could make whatever friends that are left, even that more precious. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "We'll get Artoo. We'll make it off the planet on our own."

She let out a heavy breath and Han knew that he had found the words and the answer she was hoping for. He squeezed her to him one more time as he said, "I'll go get cleaned up. We probably shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary."

 _ **A/N: Zyra's condition for me for this chapter was that they had to actually escape**_.


	12. Chapter 12

Han walked into the 'fresher, eager to get rid of this heavy stormtrooper armor. Stepping out of the last of it, he stood up too fast and felt the world starting to spin around him. He caught his balance by resting his hands against the sink in front of him, barely preventing himself from falling over. His vision became foggy and he squinted in the hopes that would help clear it.

He brought his eyes back up and saw his reflection in the mirror, still unable to make out exactly what he was seeing. Slowly, everything came back into focus and he saw himself for the first time. His tangled hair had grown a fair amount, now covering his ears. Long stubble helped conceal the hollow, sunken cheeks underneath. He brought a hand up to rub against the coarse hair, wishing he had time to shave it off. While he had always enjoyed Leia's teasing about him being scruffy-looking, he vastly preferred the feel of a clean shave.

With no time for that now, he took a moment to look at the rest of his body. Han had been a scrawny kid growing up, and this certainly rivaled that. The belt that held his pants up was loose at its last notch. He was grateful to see a slight hint of muscle remaining between his chest and arms, but mostly he was distracted by how prominently he could see his ribs through his dirty, bruised skin.

 _If I'd known Leia was actually going to come get me, I might've made an effort to be in better shape when she found me…_

Looking at his belly he felt his stomach lurch, and he tried to recall the last time he had eaten anything. Turning on the faucet, he cupped his hands and drank a bit of the cool water. Even that, it appeared, was too much, for almost immediately he found himself doubled over, emptying the small bit of contents of his stomach in the sink in front of him.

Leia must've heard, because she was at the door in an instant. "Are you all right?"

He felt more embarrassed than anything. Splashing some water on his face, he replied, "I'll be okay."

She came and rested a hand against his back, gently rubbing up and down. "It's all right, Han. When I got out, I threw up more times than I can count. One time even on Hobbie's shoes."

Leia smiled, and he knew that she was trying to make him feel better, but it only served to remind him that she had suffered similarly. And he hadn't been there to rescue her. He brought his head back up out of the sink and saw the two of them in the mirror. They looked a far cry from the attractive young couple they'd been not that long ago. War did horrible things to one's appearance.

"Who are those people, and what have they done with Han and Leia?" Han quipped.

Leia smiled. He had almost forgotten how much he loved that smile. "We'll get them back. I promise."

Han looked at his grime-covered hands, wishing that he had time to take a thorough shower. Instead he glanced up at a shelf on the wall and noticed a few sets of clothes. Reaching up, he grabbed a pair of tan lounge pants and a simple, button-down white shirt. Quickly stripping out of what he had been wearing for gods-knew how long, he relished the feel of a clean set of clothes against his skin.

Shaking his head to fight the dizziness once again, he leaned against the counter, feeling Leia's steadying hand come to rest against his shoulder. "Han, this isn't going to work very well if you can't stand up straight. I know you've lost a lot of weight, but I can't hold you up."

He looked at her, still finding her gorgeous even through the evidence of her suffering these past few months. "I'll do whatever it takes. You know me."

She smiled again, "Good. Now let's see…"

Through the open 'fresher door they heard the noise of someone entering the outer room. The heavy footsteps came first, and then there was a low growl. No, it couldn't be…

"Chewie?" Han exclaimed questioningly.

Stepping into view, the large, furry Wookiee was a welcoming sight. He walked straight up to the haggard humans and wrapped one under each arm, practically crushing their ribs in the process. "Chewie! We weren't sure..." Leia started, but then there was another being from the next room that interrupted.

"You two look awful!" The familiar voice exclaimed.

"Luke!" Leia shouted, rushing forward to hug him. Han was grateful to have Chewie there to support his weight once Leia left his side. While Luke looked tired, he did not look like he had spent the past few months enduring what he and Leia had.

"How did you find us?" She asked.

"We'll get to that later. Right now, we have to get out of here." Luke looked up to the Corellian leaning heavily on the Wookiee. "You gonna be okay, Han?"

Han was getting a little tired of being the weak link in this situation. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine. Let's get outta here."

Luke nodded reluctantly. "All right. The _Falcon_ is nearby."

Han's eyes went wide at the mention of his beloved ship. But two steps toward the door and his knees buckled underneath him, Chewie catching him before he could hit the ground. Damn it, why would his body not cooperate with him?

Leia looked over to the Wookiee. "Chewie?"

Understanding what she wanted, Chewie reached down and hoisted Han up into his arms. [You're a lot lighter than you used to be, cub,] Chewie said.

"Shut up and just help get us outta here, huh? This is already embarrassing enough."

The group made their way outside, Luke using the Force to distract anyone who gave them a second glance. They had a speeder waiting in front of the building, and the crew got in and sped off to where Han's the _Falcon_ was docked. Leia had told Luke that Artoo was back with the Y-wing she'd arrived on, but Luke explained that they were not going far, and they'd be able to contact Artoo who would be able to bring the ship to meet up with them later.

The motion of being carried by a Wookiee made Han's stomach churn, and he had to force his eyes shut in order to keep from vomiting what was left in his digestive tract. He knew from experience how difficult it was to get that sort of smell out of Wookiee fur.

The next time he opened his eyes, he saw her; the _Millennium Falcon_ was in front of him in all her glory. It was like seeing his home again for the first time in months. Chewie deposited Han in his pilot's chair, and although Han wanted to be able to pilot his ship like he used to, he wasn't sure if the blurred vision in front of his eyes made it such a good idea. Chewie seemed to sense that he needed the help, so the Wookiee took control and launched them into the atmosphere and toward freedom.

Han hadn't thought this would be possible for him again. Not that long ago he'd given up on everything. Suddenly, there was hope.

He felt Leia's hands come to rest on his shoulders from behind him. "Han, I think you might need to lie down."

While part of him wanted to protest, another part of him didn't think he'd be able to hold his head up much longer. That second part won out. Placing a hand on hers, "I think maybe you're right. Luke?"

Han turned to the Jedi standing behind him. "Hey, thanks for coming to find us."

Luke gave him a grin. "Don't mention it, Han. You'd've done the same."

"Let's just hope I don't have to, huh?"

Luke simply nodded. "It's good to see you, Han. Both of you. Get some rest now. This isn't going to be a very long trip."

Leia gave her brother one more hug and Han leaned on her once again and headed back towards his cabin.

 _ **A/N: Push's condition to me was that Han had to puke. And no, I'm not kidding. She realized she made Leia do an awful lot of puking, so it had to be Han's turn.**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush  
**_

 _ ***And this is why the story needs to be rated M.**_

The door to the captain's quarters slid shut behind them and the two stood and looked at each other for a long moment.

"You should lie down," Leia whispered and then her eyelids fell heavily as Han reached out and stroked her cheek - his touch, still a novelty to her.

"I'd like to at least brush my teeth."

The slight smile on her lips was soon mirrored by him, if not a bit crooked. She finally replied, "I guess I can't argue with that request."

Leia walked with him to the 'fresher and as she moved to accompany him into the tiny room, he said, "I think I can handle this on my own, sweetheart."

"Han, you look as if you're about to drop," she replied. He braced himself against the doorway and looked down at her. Leia tilted her head to the side and said, "Humor me."

Placing her hands on his hips she led him towards the commode. Lowering the lid, she then assisted Han to sit down facing her. She stood between his legs and looked down at him, trancelike. Her fingers landed in his hair and she brushed the long locks from off of his forehead. Running her finger down the side of his cheek, she moved towards his chin and then traced his scar.

"I've memorized you," she croaked out as she felt a tear slide down her cheek.

He placed a hand on her hip and squeezed it gently and then relaxing his grip he slid it down her thigh and then back up again all the way to her ribcage. "Why don't we get my teeth brushed and I'll let you memorize the rest of me."

"I'm afraid you may need more than your teeth brushed before that happens."

Han smiled at her and a piercing pain shot through her chest. She still could not believe what she had almost lost.

"You need to rest, hotshot," she quipped, trying to cover her raw emotions.

Han brushed his teeth - twice for good measure, he had indicated. And Leia led him into his bunk where he groaned and sunk into the soft mattress as if it were heaven itself.

She stood watching him as he closed his eyes in exhaustion and heaved a heavy breath. When he opened his eyes, he looked at her and patted the bed beside him, "C'mon, Your Highness. I'm not the only one who looks like they could use some rest."

" _Rest_ , being the operative word here, Captain."

"General." Closing his eyes and patting the bed again, he said, "I'm still a General…I think. And that was an order."

Leia climbed in the bed next to him, never truly intending to argue anyway. They both lay on their sides facing one another. Unable to control them, her tears started again and ran crossways down her face and trickled into her ear. They were silent and steady and she didn't try to stop them, it felt natural to let go in front of him if nobody else.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," Han whispered as he leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose.

She grabbed the back of his head and held him to her, their foreheads connected. "I cannot live without you," she sobbed. "I can't…"

"Shhhhh, you don't have to, baby. I'm right here."

He snaked his hand behind her neck and lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was soft and deep and slow as if they had all the time in the universe. Leia let a deep moan climb up out of her throat and Han answered with one his own. The smiles that crept on both of their faces broke their kiss and Leia said, "We're not going to get any rest this way."

"I must be deliriously tired, because I think I'm going to have to agree with you," Han answered as he kissed her on the forehead and laid his head back on his pillow.

Leia snuggled up against him and he pulled her to him before they both fell into a deep sleep.

It felt as though as soon as Leia closed her eyes, she heard their cabin door slide open. She squinted her eyes at the figure standing in the doorway, the light from the hallway pouring in all around him.

"Sorry, I told you we were pretty close to our destination," Luke whispered.

Leia felt slightly embarrassed at Luke seeing her lying in Han's bunk in his arms. But the emotion quickly passed, she was through explaining her feelings or actions to anyone and at least they were dressed so it could've been worse.

"Okay, thanks. We'll be right out," she whispered back as Han stirred behind her and Luke took a step back and closed the door, leaving her and Han in the darkness.

Leia felt Han's strong arm pull her to him and as he nuzzled his nose into the back of her neck, he kissed it and she heard him whisper, "Time to go?"

When the couple finally exited their cabin, Luke and Chewie were waiting to fill them in on their situation.

"I know you're both still tired," Luke began, "And we're gonna need to fill you in on a lot of details, but it's already late in the evening and I think it's best if we get settled in for the night and have everybody good and fresh in the morning."

"Where are we? Can we at least know that?"

"We're in Noob Hill on Ruan in a large Wookiee settlement. We've been waiting here for news of you two. Your release…both of your releases…well, they were… _planned_ , most probably traps or diversions. But, I'm getting a little ahead of myself and like I said, you both need to rest up."

Leia took Han's hand and squeezed it as Han stood and stared at her brother. She knew he wouldn't like remaining in the dark about their situation, but she also knew he was dead on his feet.

"C'mon, Han. Let's get settled in and we'll hear all about it first thing in the morning."

Han squeezed her hand back and glanced over at Chewie.

Chewie's grumble was soft, but insistent.

Han rolled his eyes. "Well, alright. It seems my mind's been made up for me."

Han and Leia walked hand in hand from the _Falcon_ to a small, remote farmhouse. The lights in the windows sparkled as they approached their home for the night. Luke showed them to a large bedroom with an attached bath and left them with some clothes and pajamas as he wished them goodnight.

As soon as the door closed, Han's hands were on her. On her head, running through her short hair, down her neck, on her chest, her waist, her hips, down her thighs. He breathed out her name, "Leia."

Her hands ran across his chest and for a minute her heart wrenched at how thin and hollow he felt. Pulling his shirt out of his pants and lifting it up, she couldn't help but scrunch her face and cough a little as she said, "Oh, Han."

Unfazed and totally ignorant to her reaction, Han began working at her clothing as he leaned down to kiss her again.

Leia contemplated giving in as he worked his way down her neck and nibbled on her ear, but one more whiff of his distinct "aroma" and Leia pressed her hands against his chest. "Let's move this party into the 'fresher, flyboy."

"What?" He pulled away from her with that little boy, hurt look he could get sometimes. "Is it that bad?" he asked as he lifted his arm and took a whiff for himself. Unable to hide his expression, he confessed, "Okay, maybe I should scrub up."

Leia followed Han into the 'fresher and despite his protests, remained as he began to undress. His body was skin and bones and covered with sores and bruises. What he probably needed was a soak in a bacta tank, but even if they had one, he would probably refuse. She sat on the edge of the large tub and began to run the water.

"A bath?" Han asked. "I'm not really a bath kinda guy."

Leia held her hand under the running water, happy with the temperature she looked up at Han and replied, "I can't hold you up in the shower and you're still very weak."

"Why do you keep saying that? I feel fine."

"I thought you were going to let me memorize every part of you?" She argued as she stood, walked over to him and ran her hands over the sparse hair on his chest.

Han moaned and replied, "I guess I'm beginning to see the benefits of a good bath."

"I thought you would."

Han sunk into the water, closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the bath tub.

"Is the temperature alright?"

"Perfect," he groaned as he sunk a little deeper into the rising water.

Leia gathered up a few items and sat down once again on the side of the tub. She lathered up a sponge and began to scrub Han's arms and fingers.

"Did I die in that prison?" He murmured as Leia ran the sponge across his chest and around his neck.

"If this was heaven, I don't think there would be so much dirt." With that she flipped the recycle switch to constantly pump in fresh water.

Finishing on his feet, Leia began to work her way up his leg. Han bent the leg she was working on and Leia scrubbed his exposed knee before she worked her way back down into the water and up his thigh. She looked at him and his eyes were wide open as her hand went deeper and deeper into the water. As she rubbed the sponge on the innermost part of his thigh, Leia watched his eyes slam shut and his breath shuttered out in a moan.

The sponge floated up to the surface as Leia finished that particular area with her bare hands. Carefully caressing him, Han's eyes flew open. He sat up and grabbed the back of her head with his hand and pulled her to him for a kiss. His tongue thrust into her mouth and Leia could feel the desperation pumping through his veins.

Han moved as if to get out of the tub and Leia moaned into his mouth, "No, let me finish."

Han stopped and then pulled a little away from her. "Finish what exactly?"

Leia placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back into the tub as she smiled demurely and said, "Your bath."

Sighing heavily and then closing his eyes he rested his head back and said, "You're right, this definitely isn't heaven."

Leia chuckled and shook her head as she grabbed the sponge and finished his other leg, making sure not to rile Han up again when she worked her way up his thigh this time. She washed and rinsed his hair and when she began to lather his more than scruffy jaw line, he grabbed her by the wrist.

"I think I'm clean enough now."

Han pulled at her gently and she was quick to realize what he had in mind. "I wanted to cut your hair and shave you," she protested weakly as he pulled her face to his and began to kiss her.

Leia was now leaning over the tub and without much fanfare she felt her body being pulled into the warm water as Han began to kiss the side of her face and tug at her wet clothing.

"You'll need to be very close in order to do that," Han whispered as he made his way down her neck and she felt her shirt lifting over her head.

His hands were unclasping her bra by the time she truly knew what had happened. She looked over to the bath controls and turned off the recycle jets. The water was clear and warm and without the noise of the jets, the only sound was their breathing and the sound of the water lapping up against the side of the porcelain tub. She was sitting crossways with her feet still hanging over the side, as she shimmied her hips and allowed Han to free her of her pants and underwear.

Twisting herself into the tub, she sat facing Han and straddled him as his eyes and his face fell to her breasts. Burying his face into her chest Leia jumped and scolded him, "Ouch! That hurts."

Han immediately pulled back and looked at her with apologetic eyes as he said, "Sorry, sweetheart, I couldn't resist," and his hands slid over her nipples and massaged her breasts where her white flesh was now pink with irritation.

"Well, just let me shave you and you won't have to resist," she replied as she leaned over the tub and grabbed the cream and the razor.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Han asked as he eyed the straight razor worriedly.

"Trust me."

"That's my line," he quipped as Leia applied the shaving cream to his face and neck.

She dabbed a little bit of cream on the tip of his nose as she finally replied, "I know."

Running the razor along his jaw line, Leia studied every minute detail of the clean-shaven skin that was slowing being unveiled. She concentrated on the sound the water made as she swished the razor around in it and then the tiny dripping sounds from the water droplets falling off her hand. She flipped the recycle jets back on to keep the water from getting filthy again.

Deep in concentration, Leia moved the razor over his chin and inhaled sharply as Han began to explore her breasts again with his hands.

" _Han_ …unless you want another scar on your chin, I wouldn't do that."

"I trust you," he whispered back in a low voice. His eyes, his mind and his hands, clearly moving on to the next phase of this bathing experience. She was surprised she had gotten this much accomplished before she lost him. Like a kid in a candy store, he just couldn't control himself any longer.

Leia breathed deeply and concentrated on the movements of her hands and the razor that they held, as Han's hands moved down between her legs and began to explore there. Her breath started to become shallow and her ability to concentrate was evaporating like the soap bubbles on the surface of the tub water.

She still had an entire side of his face to complete as she felt him place one of his hands on her hip and guide her closer to him. She could hear his ragged breathing even over the noise of the jets and as both of her hands went to either side of the tub to steady herself, she heard the sound of the straight razor dropping on the floor as he slid himself inside of her and pulled her to him.

Her arms wrapped around him tightly as if she was afraid he would disappear. And as he moved his hips underneath her the water rocked and sloshed in the tub, splashing onto the floor. She concentrated on the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest and the gentle movement of him inside of her, of his moans mixed in with hers, his kisses and his hands on her hips orchestrating their motion.

She heard Han flip a switch and the water immediately began to empty. He braced his hands on either side of the tub and moved to stand up.

"Han."

"I don't want to hear anything about what I can and can't handle," he breathed back as he grabbed her by the hips and stepped out of the tub. Two more steps and Leia felt her body pressed up against the wall, she felt the mixture of the cool air, the rough wall behind her and Han's warm body pressed against her and inside of her.

Han's movements became quick and hard - desperate. He ran his fingers through her hair and down her body, holding her up with one hand and exploring every part of her with the other. Leia moaned as overwhelming sensations ripped through her body, shooting through her until her eyesight blurred. She pulled him to her as the waves of her orgasm crashed over her, spilling out of her like the water in the bath tub.

Han's hips began to thrust again and he pressed his head up against hers as his body shuddered and then stilled. The room was silent as he held her there. He kissed the side of her face and then he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too." Her tears came again with a vengeance and she cried silently as he held her.

Han finally lifted his head away from her and looked at her for a moment. Rubbing a thumb along her wet check, he asked, "Leia?"

She smiled. To hear him say her name, to have him here with her, it was all too unreal. "What, sweetheart?" Her voice was heavy and distant to her own ears.

"Let's get married."

" _What?_ " She answered incredulously, her slight case of fuzzy euphoria rapidly evaporating.

Han only smiled and patiently repeated, "Will you marry me?"

 ** _A/N: Okay, so Zyra's condition for me was: "Your condition is that you definitely have to write that she cleans him up in the bathtub. And shaves him, too. And cuts his hair so he looks like the Han we know and love." Well, they just wouldn't let me get to the haircut. It's not my fault! I hoped you enjoyed it anyway..._ **


	14. Chapter 14

Leia Organa was not often speechless, but that was exactly how she found herself now. Though caught a bit off-guard at his question, looking into his eyes then, the love so clearly evident, the warmth of his body against hers, she knew what her answer would be. It was something she'd fantasized about on occasion during her captivity; if things had been different and the two of them could've gotten married and lived a nice, simple life and grown old together. Could it actually become a reality?

She didn't realize how long she'd been silent until Han's brow furrowed in worry and he started speaking again. "I know I don't have much and I know I haven't lived the most honest life up until now, but I can't imagine going on if I can't spend the rest of my life with you."

Reaching up and placing a finger to his lips, she felt the tears rising up in her eyes. "Han, I love you so much."

The glassiness in his eyes mirrored her own. "Is that a yes?"

She nodded, the tears spilling over, "Yes," and pressed her lips to his, a promise of their bond and hope for the future.

After a few moments of passion, Leia suddenly started laughing against his lips and he pulled away. "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking. You know, when we tell people that we're going to get married they're going to ask how you proposed."

The grin that suddenly became plastered across his face was as wide as Jabba's waistline. "You can just tell them that I had just finished passionately making love to you when I asked."

"I'm not sure how appropriate that would be. 'Well, Han had me pinned against the wall and was still inside me when he decided he wanted me to be his wife.'"

"I don't see the problem."

"You wouldn't. We'll come up with a back-up story later."

He leaned in and kissed her again, this time much more gently. When he pulled away, he said, "While I love being this close to you, I don't think I can hold you up much longer."

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone," she said just before he leaned away from the wall and lowered her feet to the ground.

After having endured nothing but pain and discomfort for months, it was a novel feeling to experience pleasure once again. Not just the physical, but to have someone there with her whom she loved more than anything and to have that love returned in full.

The sudden rush of cold from no longer having his body pressed against hers was nearly unbearable. While he looked a little shaky and weak from their encounter, she decided she was okay with the minor consequences if it meant that they could both experience something like that once again. It had been far too long.

She looked up at him then, his face half-shaven and his long, wet hair still hanging down his neck, and decided that she'd have to take care of things. "Han, you need to let me finish shaving you."

Seeming to be in no mood to argue, he took her outstretched hand and she led him back to the tub where they sat down on the edge facing one another. Somehow he managed to keep his hands to himself while she shaved him and then brought the shears up to cut his unruly hair, taking perhaps more time than she really needed as she ran her hands through the tangled strands on top of his head. She made it shorter than it had been since she'd known him, but it still made him look devastatingly handsome – though she suspected almost any haircut would.

She ran her hands along his smooth cheeks and smiled at the results of her efforts. "That's better. Perfect for our engagement picture," she teased.

"Right. Who has time for engagement pictures? Can't we just get married right away?"

She smiled back at him, noting that the impatient excitement on his face resembled that of a child on his birthday when there were presents to be opened. "You sure you want to rush into it? You sure it wasn't just the heat of the moment since it had been so long since we did this?"

He reached over and took her hand. "Sweetheart, I have wanted to marry you since the first time I kissed you, maybe even sooner. I want to wake up with you next to me every day for the rest of my life. I don't ever want to have to go that long without touching you ever again."

For a man who often seemed to thrive on being gruff and inappropriate, Han sure knew how to say the right thing when he needed to.

She leaned in close and touched her forehead to his. "I want that, too," and then she kissed him, gently at first before Han responded much more hungrily.

After finally making it back to the large, warm bed for another round – or two, depending on how you counted – the reunited lovers had fallen asleep in each other's arms. Leia's head rested comfortably on Han's chest, thoroughly warmed by the sound of his heart beating and the rise and fall of each breath that he took. She did not have a chance to savor either as the two of them had lost consciousness almost from the moment they shut their eyes.

All too soon, Leia saw light peeking out from behind her eyelids and opened her eyes to see the morning light streaming in through the window and illuminating the grassy field and trees in the distance. Han was still sound asleep next to her, in the exact same position he'd lain down in. She smiled against his chest and gave him a squeeze, reminding herself once again that this was how they intended to awaken from now on. _Do I really get to spend the rest of my life with him? And can we make it so the rest of our lives lasts a long time?  
_  
She wanted to stay like that forever, but was suddenly, painfully reminded that there were a lot of other things going on in the universe that would demand her attention. While she wanted nothing more than to never leave that bed with that Corellian, she knew that their quiet rendezvous would soon have to come to an end. Also, glancing over at the pajamas on the dresser that had been left for them and completely ignored, she knew that she'd better get up and throw on some clothes. She wasn't particularly interested in being walked in on while the two of them were naked under the covers.

Slowly disengaging herself from Han's embrace, she slipped out of the bed and into the 'fresher. This, too, was a novel feeling - being able to wake up in a comfortable bed and use a real 'fresher with available running water. She took the opportunity to take a good, long shower, finally deciding once her fingers were turning to prunes that maybe it was a good time to get out. She threw on her clothes, wrapped a towel around her head and walked out into the bedroom to find Han still out cold.

She decided to watch him while he slept peacefully, his mouth slightly agape and face half-hidden by his pillow. With his thinner face and shorter hair he suddenly seemed to look younger than his years. His features almost looked boyish in slumber, and it made her smile. That smile grew wider when she saw his eyes flutter open and come to rest on her.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said groggily.

"Good morning, darling," she said as she slowly made her way back to the bed and slipped under the covers next to him, wrapping her arms around him.

He kissed her forehead and said, "I think you're overdressed, Princess."

She sighed. "I wish I could agree with you, but I'm afraid we might not have much longer to hide out in here."

Han rolled onto his back and let out a long, slow breath. "Yeah, I s'pose there's a lot of stuff going on that we have to figure out."

"I know. Plus, don't you want to tell our best friends the good news?"

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Honey, I want to tell everyone I've ever met in my entire life."

"Well, go get dressed, then."

He kissed her one last time and made his way to the 'fresher.

It wasn't long after that when Chewie came in to tell them that it was time for breakfast. Leia's stomach growled just at the mere mention of food, and Han reacted similarly when he had emerged clean and dressed. Though they had been preoccupied with their reunion, the two had forgotten how much they needed a real meal.

Sitting across the table from one another, Leia noted how Han's baggy shirt made him look like a child who decided to play dress-up with Daddy's clothes. She then had a flash of what it might be like if they had children, but quickly dismissed it. There was way too much going on to get carried away in silly fantasies. While they had agreed to get married, the thoughts of having children anytime soon seemed a little silly.

The two ate greedily, Leia knowing that she had only eaten sparingly in captivity, while Han's state upon their discovery of him indicated that whether they offered him food or not, he hadn't eaten much of anything. Luke came and joined the two with a small plate of his own and looked across the table to the Corellian with the hideous table manners as he shoveled the contents of his plate into his mouth.

"Slow down, Han. It's not going to do you any good if it comes right back up."

Leia looked across the table and made eye contact with Han, who smiled back at her before she said, "Let him eat however he wants, Luke. We need to bulk him up at least a little if he's going to look decent in our wedding pictures."

Luke smirked at the quip, obviously not quite understanding what she'd meant right away; then he looked stunned. "Wait, what?"

Han looked up from his plate and stopped chewing just long enough to wink and smile at Luke. "That's right. You only just got a sister, you think you can handle a brother-in-law, too?"

Chewie, who had been cleaning up the plates in the adjoining kitchen, nearly ran to the table. [Is this true?] the Wookiee growled excitedly.

Han looked up at his oldest friend. "Yeah, pal. I asked her to marry me and she said yes."

[Princess, it is not too late to change your mind, you know.]

"Hey, can it! You ever think maybe she actually _wants_ to spend the rest of her life with me?"

"Are you two really engaged?" Luke asked.

Leia nodded. "Yes. Han asked me last night. And I think we've both been through too much to get in the habit of putting things off."

Luke smiled at his sister, "That's great!" He hugged his sister and then stood up and walked over to Han and extended his hand. "Congratulations."

Han stood up and extended his arms. "Thanks, Luke." The two men hugged and Leia had the distinct impression that she was slowly putting back together the family she'd lost.

Chewie then moved in and wrapped all three humans in a big hug. Leia had almost forgotten that there was still a war going on. It was nice to have some good news for a change.

Luke looked back and forth at the two of them. "So, how did you propose?"

Leia shot Han a look and he simply smirked back at her. "Well…"

Sometime later, once Han and Leia had full bellies for the first time in months, the group finally had to start talking about reality.

"So, Luke," Leia began, "Were our releases really planned?"

"Yes, at least from what I've been told."

"That doesn't make sense. None of it does. Rieekan told me that his best men were out trying to find Han. I went in and got him out without much trouble."

Han reached over and clasped her hand in his and squeezed; Leia knew it was a silent thank you. "Leia, I don't think he was telling you the truth," Luke said.

Leia was taken aback. Rieekan was one of her most trusted friends. "Why would he lie to me about that?"

"I don't know, Leia. Maybe he was just afraid for you? Maybe he just didn't want you going out and getting into trouble in the state you were in. I heard you weren't much better off than Han when you were brought in."

"I don't understand, Luke. He knows me well enough to know that if there is something I want, I'm not going to sit back and do nothing. Lying to me wasn't going to do anything. I wouldn't have cared if he told me that every member of the Alliance – or whatever we're calling ourselves now – was out looking for him. Until we got him back, I wasn't going to just sit there."

Luke sighed. "I know that, Leia. I'm trying to figure this out just as much as you are."

"So, what do we do now?" Leia asked.

"I have no idea," Luke answered. "But like usual, I'm sure we'll figure it out."

 _ **A/N: Push's condition to me was: with the information Leia gives him, Luke has to know who was lying (Rieekan or Mothma**_ ).


	15. Chapter 15

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

The sound of repulsorlifts caused everyone at the table to jump with a start.

"Relax," Luke said as he stood up from the table. "It sounds like my X-Wing. Remember? I sent for Artoo."

Everyone stood up and followed Luke outside. Sure enough, Luke's X-Wing had landed next to the _Falcon_.

As they watched Artoo lift himself out of his socket and then lower himself to the ground, Han said, "I can't believe I'm asking this. But…where's old goldenrod?"

Chewie growled and patted Luke on the back.

"You win? Win what?" Han asked.

"We had a bet on how long it would take for you to ask about Threepio," Luke explained. "Apparently, Chewie does know you better than I do."

"Really? And what was your bet, kid?"

Luke looked at Chewie and then back at Han as he said, "Never."

The group laughed and headed back inside with Artoo tagging along. Gathering around the living area, Luke continued, "Threepio should be arriving today, he's been with Lando."

"Lando?" both Han and Leia asked in unison.

"Yes, he's been helping us look for you. We sent word to him last night that we had found you both."

Chewie barked and rumbled something to Luke.

"Yeah, it was Lando that got word of your release on Kiffu," Luke explained.

"Is that where I was?" Leia asked absently.

Han wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him. "What about Mon Mothma? I assume she told you where to find us?" Han asked.

"Yes. But that's the first contact we had with her for quite some time. Her whereabouts and transmissions were being closely monitored by the Empire, which is why she was unable to let us know of Han's fate on Coruscant. But once Leia and Wedge landed there, she was forced to expose her allegiance," Luke explained.

"You know about Wedge, then?" Leia asked.

"We heard from Rieekan that you had both escaped and we were monitoring the local Coruscant channels and heard that one of you had been killed. I was positive it wasn't you, so…"

The room fell into a silence until Han asked, "So…is Mon Mothma headed to regroup with Rieekan's crew?"

"Actually, she's going to meet up with Dodonna and Madine first. Then the entire fleet is set to regroup above Omwat in seven days."

Chewie let out a long, slow grumble.

"Chewie and I believe that this rendezvous may be a trap," Luke offered.

Han leaned forward. "So what are we going to do? Sit around and let it spring?"

"Actually, yes," Luke replied.

"To what end?" Leia asked.

Luke stood up and began to pace the floor. "We're hoping it will flush out the traitor…if there is one."

"And then what? Overtake them with an X-Wing, the _Falcon_ and whatever Lando shows up in?" Han asked.

Chewie barked a confident reply.

Han and Leia both looked at Chewie.

"Whatdya mean more than that?" Han asked Chewie.

Chewie turned to Luke.

"You're looking at the reinstated Rogue Squadron Commander."

Han relaxed back on the sofa and put his arm around Leia. "Now this thing is starting to sound like a plan."

"Yeah, thanks," Luke smirked. "Well, like I said, Lando should arrive sometime today and we'll spend one more night here and leave in the morning. We're to rendezvous with the Rogue Squadron at Arbra."

Han turned to Chewie and asked, "How's the _Falcon_? Anything we should get done before we hit the skies?"

Chewie grumbled and barked a lengthy response.

The long list of minor repairs that his co-pilot rattled off did not faze him. If anything, the thought of getting elbow deep inside the guts of the _Falcon_ made Han's heart skip a beat. To have both of his loves back in one place was more than he had let himself imagine possible in the last few months. Giving Leia a quick kiss on the cheek, he stood up and said, "Let's get to it, then."

It seemed like only a few seconds had gone by, but when Leia found him working at the main gun access panel in the aft hold carrying a plate of food, he figured it had been slightly longer than that.

"Think you can take a break for dinner?" Leia asked as she stood there holding the plate of food in one hand and a frosted mug in the other.

"Did I miss lunch?" Han asked as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yes," she replied as she walked towards him. "But, more importantly…did you miss me?"

He smiled at her and as he took the plate and the mug out of her hand and set them on a nearby ledge, he pulled her to him and replied, "More than you'll ever know."

Her face clouded over and he pulled her in for a long, deep kiss. The feel of her hands in his hair and his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, still felt somehow unreal.

He broke their kiss and after planting a trail of tiny kisses down her jaw line, he whispered in her ear, "I've never made love to my fiancée on my ship."

"Chewie did leave to eat dinner at the house," she replied devilishly.

Han had taken a shot in the dark, not knowing if Leia would be game. Her willingness caused an immediate stirring in his lower regions as he pulled her closer to him and replied, "I'll raise the ramp, you meet me in my cabin."

Leia grabbed his arm, stopping his hasty departure. "Don't you mean _our_ cabin?"

He smiled. "My mistake." Then quickly kissing her on the nose he said, "Meet me in _our_ cabin."

Han swung by the _Falcon's_ entryway and raised the platform, locking it just in case. After a quick detour to the galley to scrub the grease off his arms, hands and face, he began unbuttoning his shirt as he made his way to the captain's quarters.

When he entered the cabin, Leia was already under the sheets in his… _their_ bunk, a heap of clothes piled neatly on the floor. He quickly undressed and climbed in beside her, her naked body warm next to his.

He just looked at her for a moment, the feeling that this dream would soon come to an end still haunted him. She brought her hand up to his face and rested it against his cheek. Turning his face, he kissed the palm of her hand and then grabbed it with his hand and laced their fingers together.

They spent what felt like an eternity in that bunk. Their breathing, the _Falcon's_ ventilation system and the squeak of the bunk beneath them were the only sounds they heard. They memorized every part of their bodies again. They kissed each new scratch and bruise and traced every scar, rediscovering sensitive spots and finding new ones. This felt like their homecoming more than anything else had yet. Here in their bunk, the same bunk that they had first made love in.

Leia gasped as their bodies finally joined into one. Han lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her as he began to move inside of her. Their bodies were painted with perspiration and their breath was ragged, but they remained silent. Words seemed too invasive and vastly inadequate to describe what this meant to each of them.

When they were finished, he held her in his arms in a spooning position and she trailed her fingers through the hair on his arms. His kissed the back of her head and squeezed her to him, silently willing her to never leave his arms again.

The distinct sound of repulsorlifts above them gave them both a jolt. It was Han who spoke first. "That has got to be Threepio. Good thing his timing seems to be a little off today."

Leia chuckled as she turned around in his arms. "I want to stay here, in your arms, forever."

Han kissed her forehead. "Are you using your Jedi powers to read my mind, Princess?"

"I don't need Jedi powers to know that this feels so right."

Han relaxed back into the bunk. "Well, I'm not making the first move."

Leia let out a deep sigh as the sound of the repulsorlifts winded down indicating that their visitor had finally landed. She closed her eyes and inhaled, taking in all the sensory information her mind could handle and committing it all to memory. The musty smell that was she and Han, the warmth of his body pressed up next to her, the feel of his fingertips pressed lightly against her ribcage – the beat of his heart, the rise and fall of his chest. And finally, tentatively, she felt for his Force signature.

As crude as her Force training had been, her body began to expand with the presence that was uniquely Han Solo. It was a steady thrum, like a low, drawling musical note that hums in the background almost unnoticed. And then it was light. It was a bright, magnificent light that washed everything else out, blinding and tremendous, like a perpetual supernova. Then there was a tingly warmth that spread over her body like a million pin pricks.

She opened her eyes. "I'll go get freshened up," she sighed as she slid out of the bunk and grabbed her clothes on the way to the 'fresher.

When the couple finally exited the _Falcon_ , they were greeted by an audience standing around a Skipray blastboat.

Leia was the first to react to a much unexpected guest, as she exclaimed, "Admiral!"

 _ **A/N: Zyra's condition: She said that I had to bring another character in. It could be someone we had already seen in the story or someone new, just as long as it was someone other than Luke, Han, Leia and Chewie. I guess I kinda cheated, because I left it up to her to name who our mystery Admiral is.**_


	16. Chapter 16

**_A/N: If you are reading this story and you are enjoying it, reviews are greatly appreciated._**

The large eyes of Admiral Ackbar were a strangely comforting sight. But the voice that spoke first in response wasn't his. "It's about time you two stopped lying around while the rest of us did all of the work."

That smooth-talking voice could only be one person, and one of Han's oldest friends stepped into view behind the Calamarian. "Good to see you, Lando," Han said from behind Leia.

"Good to see you, too, old buddy. Even better to see you, Princess," Lando said as he approached Leia and took her hand and kissed it in his usual gesture. She saw his eyes glance up to her hair, but he didn't comment on it.

"It's nice to see you, too," Leia responded before she felt Han step up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Back off, pal. She's gonna be my wife, soon," Han said.

Lando's eyes grew wide. "Is that so? When's the wedding?"

In all of her excitement about even deciding to get married, Leia hadn't once thought about when an actual wedding might take place. She turned to look at Han. "Yes, when is the wedding, Han?"

He looked down at her with a smile. "Whenever you want, sweetheart. I'll marry you right here, right now."

Leia smiled back. "Then that's what I want."

Han looked a little confused. "What?"

"Let's just do it right now. Admiral?"

Ackbar turned to look at them. "Yes?"

"You are allowed to legally marry people, is that correct?"

"It is," he responded.

"Would you marry me and Han?"

"It would be an honor."

"What do you say, Han?"

"Sweetheart, I'm fine with this. Are you sure you are? I thought maybe you'd want a big, fancy wedding with hundreds of guests."

She reached up and framed his face in her hands. "Han, all I care about is marrying the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. Whether that happens in a million-credit dress in front of a thousand people or wearing some old clothes in front of only a few of our closest friends doesn't matter to me. This is just about us."

He looked at her and her heart swelled at the thought that she'd get to see that face hopefully every day for the rest of her life. "Gods, I love you," he said before he leaned in and kissed her.

Suddenly remembering that they had an audience, Leia gently pulled away and looked at the small group of friends surrounding them. "Would you all do us the honor of attending our wedding? I know it's short notice…"

The group simply laughed and smiled in their approval. "Wait, where's Threepio?" Leia asked.

Lando groaned and covered his eyes. "Ugh, I suppose you're going to make me turn him back on for this?"

"Sorry, Lando. I know he's a pain, but he really should be here," Leia said. "Right, Han?"

Han looked at her, his torn emotions evident on his face. "Oh, all right."

It was only a few moments later that they heard the voice as the familiar, gold droid descended the ramp. "Oh, Mistress Leia and General Solo! It is so good to see you again. I trust you are doing well."

"Very well, Threepio," Leia said. "Han and I are getting married."

"Oh, what wonderful news! Well, Alderaanian customs state that the bride-"

"Can it, Threepio," Han cut in. "We don't care about customs. We're getting married right here, right now."

"Well, normally for these kinds of weddings you would-"

"Shut up, Threepio," Leia interjected.

Han wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "See how perfect she is for me?"

Leia gave Han a squeeze and then turned back to Admiral Ackbar. "What do you say, Admiral? Ready to marry us?"

"Of course."

Han and Leia stood before Admiral Ackbar, facing each other with their hands clasped. Leia barely heard the words that were spoken during their little ceremony. She was too caught up in the look in Han's eyes staring back at her. As a child she had occasionally thought about what her wedding might be like. In those fantasies, her father had walked her down the aisle and the room was filled with hundreds of guests. Her dress was made by the finest seamstresses and her hair was done by the best stylists.

Never once in those fantasies did she really think about the man who she might be marrying. The most glamorous, extravagant wedding in the galaxy couldn't hold a candle to the simple exchange of vows occurring now if this was the man she was becoming bonded to.

Somewhere in there she remembered saying, "I do," and Han's identical response. And then his lips were on hers; their first kiss as a married couple. This was another instance in which she was glad only to have a few friends around, for it would be expected that a princess only share a simple, quick kiss with her husband in front of such a crowd. This was anything but simple and quick, but she savored every moment of it.

When they finally pulled away they were accosted with words of congratulations and hugs from their few guests, only their closest friends.

Threepio decided to speak again, "Now, traditionally, after the wedding it is customary to-"

Han scooped Leia up into his arms. "Shut up, Threepio. I know _exactly_ what is customary after the wedding. You guys won't mind if we catch up with you a bit later, do you?" Han said to Lando.

"Nah, buddy. We'll see you later," Lando responded with a wink.

Leia sometimes disapproved of Han being a bit too forward with certain things, but at the moment she had no complaints. He carried her back up the Falcon's ramp and before she knew it, they were in their bunk again, clothes hastily scattered on the floor, Han's body pressed on top of hers while he looked into her eyes and said, "I can't believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I feel the same way. I just hope that our forever is a long time. You know, that whole time I was in that cell, the only thing that kept me going was the possibility of seeing you again. The last time I saw you, I thought you…" she trailed off as her emotions got the best of her.

"It's okay, sweetheart. You know it takes a lot to take me down. I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure you don't ever have to go through anything like that again. If anything, I should be the one thanking you for saving my life again."

She reached up and placed her hand against his cheek. "How could I bear the thought of not seeing this handsome face again?"

"I love you, Mrs. Solo."

She smiled at those words. "I like the sound of that. And I love you, Han."

Her hands wound up in the hair in the back of his head and he lowered his lips to hers in a kiss that slowly deepened. She had wondered how it was possible that every time they made love it got better, but somehow it always did. Knowing that they were now committed to one another for life only seemed to intensify all of the wonderful feelings she had for him and felt from him. They were joined in body and soul and all of the determination to fight for their freedom was returning. She had been beaten down almost to the point of giving up, but it seemed that suddenly things were worth fighting for. There was actually hope for a promising future with Han.

She clutched him tightly, never wanting it to end but finally they called out each other's names in ecstasy and relaxed in a tight embrace, Han's head buried against her neck while his breathing slowed and she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You know," Leia began, "Sooner or later we're going to have to stop hiding in this cabin and go out and face reality."

He lifted his head to look at her. "This isn't exactly the honeymoon I'd imagined."

She laughed. "I know, but I promise that when the timing is right, we will more than make up for it. Deal?"

Han sighed. "Deal. Let's see what's going on out there."

"All right," Leia said as she moved to disengage herself from Han's embrace, but he pinned her down to the mattress.

"I think they can handle another twenty or so minutes without us, don't you?"

His head descended to her breast and she felt his lips and tongue suddenly overriding any normal sorts of thought processes. "Yes…" was all she could manage to get out.

 _ **A/N: Push's condition to me was that they had to get married before they left the planet.**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

After enduring some good-natured teasing from Lando and Chewbacca about their lengthy absence, the couple joined the group for dinner and everyone headed to bed to prepare for their early departure the next morning. It took them two days to arrive on Arbra and meet up with the Rogue Squadron who was waiting for them there. That left the tiny group five days to figure out what they were going to do before the rendezvous over Omwat.

Not knowing exactly what they would find left the motley crew with little to plan. Once timing and some other tactical issues were squared away, Han and Leia were left with several days that they had virtually to themselves. Never being a very traditional couple anyway, the couple accepted this as probably the closest thing they would ever get to a honeymoon, and spent their days and nights accordingly.

Five days later, the entire Rogue Squadron along with the _Millennium Falcon_ and Lando's Skipray blastboat, _The Winning Hand_ , dropped out of hyperspace and into realspace right outside the Omwat system. There was no huge battle already underway as they had prepared for. An armada of starships were hovered together over the nearby planet with the familiar markings of the Rebel Alliance. The party crashers were hailed by a fleet of B-wings and Y-wings and upon gaining clearance, were escorted onto one of the flagships.

Without much conversation or fanfare, Han, Leia, Lando, Luke and Admiral Ackbar were lead to a large conference room in the center of the starship. Upon entering the room, the heated discussions were abruptly silenced and the group was welcomed by the likes of Carlist Rieekan, Mon Mothma, Crix Madine and Jan Dodonna.

As room was made for Leia and Admiral Ackbar at the conference room table, Han, Lando and Luke took a seat along the outskirts of the room in some spectator chairs.

Once everyone was settled, it was Mon Mothma who spoke, "Let the records show that we have been joined by Admiral Ackbar of the Mon Calamari and Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan."

"Solo," Leia added simply and a murmur erupted throughout the room. She turned to the young woman scribing for the meeting and repeated, "Leia Organa Solo."

"Well, congratulations," Mon Mothma replied warmly before the meeting got back underway.

Leia remained silent as the discussions resumed. It didn't take her long to figure out the issue. It seemed Mon Mothma was of a mind to actually try to make peace with the remnants of the Empire while Rieekan wanted no part of any such arrangements.

While she listened to both sides argue their points, Leia let her mind process the situation surrounding her. She reflected on her father's words and her time as a Senator for Alderaan. Her thoughts were with her people and with the cause that had driven her for as long as she could remember. The painful memories of Alderaan's destruction and all that she had lost under the tyrannical control of the Empire flooded her mind and she had to swallow the lump that had crawled up her throat and fight the tears that were begging to fall.

"Leia?"

Leia turned her head towards General Rieekan's voice as she realized he was addressing her.

Rieekan continued, "Everyone has weighed in. Would you like to offer us your opinion on the situation?"

She met the eyes of the man that had for all intents and purposes treated her as if she were his own daughter. And for the years that Leia had served with the Rebellion, following Alderaan's destruction, she had looked upon him as a father-figure. His eyes were soft and sad and she gazed on them for a long moment.

When she spoke, she held her gaze with General Rieekan. "I think I have to agree with Mon."

Another burst of hushed murmurs broke throughout the room. General Rieekan's voice rose above the din and he asked her, "What about Alderaan? How can you turn your back on what they did to our people?"

"I'm not turning my back on them, I'm standing up for exactly what they died for – justice and democracy."

The conversation around the room fell quiet and Leia continued, "If we continue to fight until we have total domination then we are no better than the Emperor or Vader was. It is not the total annihilation of the Empire that my father and the people of Alderaan stood for, and died for, and it is not what I thought this Alliance held at its heart."

Her voice cracked just a bit and she took a deep breath before she said, "We stand for each person having a voice and a vote," she shook her head and pushed the words out of her mouth, words that she knew were the right ones to say, "that includes…a Grand Moff who is fighting for the rights of his people just as much as it includes any one of us standing up here, for our people."

Again there was a quiet murmur of conversation and Leia raised her voice a bit as she continued, "I have to admit that when I first heard of a treaty or a truce, my stomach… _churned_. But we have to look past our prejudices. Prejudices created by one or two deviant rulers who did not represent their entire populace."

Her eyes moved around the table as she met the stare of each person gathered around there. The silence in the room was sobering and Leia spoke into it with strength to her words that came from knowing what was right. "The fall of the Republic came from the fall of democracy. From _one side_ having more power than the all. Not even _our_ side should try to rule in the same vain."

 _ **A/N: My condition from Zyra was that they had to leave the planet.**_


	18. Chapter 18

The entire room fell silent as Leia's words sank in. Han had always understood and shared Leia's hatred for the Empire, and he knew that she would not take this kind of decision lightly. Nor did he think that she would easily so strongly disagree with General Rieekan's view on things. With the Emperor and Vader gone, maybe it was possible that they could all reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

He wished he was close enough to her to at least hold her hand in reassurance.

It was Rieekan who spoke first, disappointment evident on his face. As though his own daughter had just betrayed him. "I thought you, of all people, would understand how important it is to continue to fight for our freedom."

"Freedom from what, exactly?" Leia responded, her emotions starting to show through her voice. "The Emperor wanted control of everyone and everything, and he's gone now. Perhaps now that we have been given the opportunity to actually talk to them we might actually be able to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Maybe we can actually stop running and hiding and live a normal existence."

Han and Leia had discussed many times how nice things would be if they could actually live something close to what most people considered normal. He knew how much she longed for that life. And he knew that she was likely to do whatever it took to get there.

Rieekan sighed. "I hope you realize what it is that you are preparing us to agree to."

"I am quite aware, thank you. And there is no reason why we have to agree to anything that we find isn't in our best interest. There is no harm in talking. Which is something that they have always been unwilling to do. We can always say no."

Rieekan said nothing, so Mon Mothma interjected. "Thank you, Leia. Well, then, unless anyone else has any arguments against it, I suspect this means that we will be meeting with their negotiators as scheduled."

All eyes glanced around the room, and more than a few looked as though they wanted to say something, but remained silent.

"Then it's settled," she said. "In three days we will start the negotiations. Meeting adjourned."

Han stood immediately and walked over to Leia, subtly taking her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. He didn't have time to say anything before Rieekan walked up to her.

"I suppose I owe you some congratulations," he said. Neither Han nor Leia expected those to be the first words he spoke to them.

"Thank you, General," Leia said.

The general looked at both of them and smiled. "Your father would be happy for you," he said sincerely.

Han looked down at Leia, feeling that he himself wasn't quite sure if _any_ father would be all that thrilled that his daughter had married a man like him. But if Rieekan thought so…

Leia's eyes became glassy with tears and she reached out and clasped Rieekan's wrist and smiled. "Thank you. I know he would."

Rieekan reached up and put a hand on Han's shoulder. "Take good care of her, Solo."

Han looked down at his love and then back at the man in front of him. "I will, General."

Rieekan smiled one more time and then moved out of the room. Han wrapped an arm around Leia's shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Do you think we're doing the right thing?" Leia asked.

He rested his chin on top of her head. "Sweetheart, I know you wouldn't have us do anything that wasn't in our best interest. And I know how hard it must be for you to even consider making peace with the Empire."

She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a squeeze. "I'm glad you think so."

A mere two days later they had arrived to meet up with the Empire. Han knew that Leia would never have expected to even entertain the idea of trying to make peace with the Empire, but then again, he was pretty sure she never expected to wind up marrying an ex-smuggler, either. Stranger things had happened.

While Han was no negotiator, he did still hold his rank as General, and Leia had insisted that he come along and be by her side during all of this.

The negotiations would take place over Endor, of all places. Without any military of their own and without any real ties to any government given their primitive ways, it seemed as good a place as any. When the green planet came into view, Han thought back to all of the things that had happened the last time they were there. The war that they'd all thought was finally over, the deaths of the Emperor and Vader, Leia telling him that Luke was her brother and the realization that he would no longer have to battle anyone for her affections.

They stood at the bridge of the flagship, staring out of the viewport in silence. He reached over and clasped her hand, trying to tell her that things would be all right.

Once in orbit around Endor, Han, Leia, Mon Mothma and Rieekan boarded a small transport shuttle to take down to the planet. The rest would be brought down later, once the initial negotiations had taken place. The ship landed on the landing platform the Empire had erected near the shield generator not so long ago.

Once docked and with the ramp lowered, Han took Leia's hand and looked at her. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she replied, not releasing his hand as they made their way to the exit. Rieekan led the way while Han and Leia were next and Mon Mothma trailing behind.

There in front of them were several Imperial officers, all clad in their dark green uniforms. While in theory this idea had initially made sense to him, Han suddenly felt a knot of uneasiness in his stomach and felt Leia's pace slow as they continued moving forward. She didn't seem to like this anymore, either.

"Welcome, Your Highness," one of the officers said as he stepped forward. "Welcome back to Endor."

Leia swallowed next to him, and she spoke up a little more quietly than Han would've expected. "Thank you."

"I understand you wish to negotiate with us?"

"That is correct," Leia replied.

"Well," the officer said. "We are going to make this all very easy. You come with us quietly, and we won't kill you."

Han couldn't believe what he was hearing. He turned around to see Mon Mothma step out from behind them and walk over to join the officers before she said, "I'm sorry it has to be this way."

Rieekan looked shocked. "How could you do this? Have you always been-"

"No," she cut him off. "Not always. But how long are we supposed to keep fighting, Carlist? It's better this way."

"So you think," he said, his face conveying the betrayal they all felt.

Leia spoke next. "But why would you help me get Han free in the first place? Why set any of us free if you were only going to bring us into this trap?"

It was the officer who responded. "This is far more than just having you under our control, Princess. We intend to make your Alliance believe that we have reached an agreement, when in actuality, we will simply be the ones in control. They will continue to take their orders from Mon Mothma, and we will continue to rule the galaxy as we see fit.

"Like hell you will," Han said as he reached for his blaster.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, General Solo," the officer said.

"Lucky for all of us you're not me," he said, preparing to fire.

The blast hit one of the officers, though not the one who had done most of the speaking. The retaliating fire made Han wince, only the bolt didn't hit him.

He felt Leia collapsing against his side and instantly he reached down and caught her before she hit the ground. Crouched down beside her, he searched her face, noting the pain there but also noting that she was still fully conscious. One of his arms found her shoulder and the blood that oozed from it.

Finally, her eyes met his and she mouthed, "I'm okay," and he felt a huge sense of relief before he felt the rage taking over. Looking up to his attackers, he brought his blaster back up and aimed to fire, but he found a series of blasters trained on both him and Leia.

"The next one goes right between her eyes," he heard one of them mutter. As much as he wanted to blast every one of them for even thinking about hurting her, he knew that even he wouldn't be able to take out all of them before either he or Leia was dead.

Reluctantly, he threw down his blaster and looked at their attackers. He tried to silently will them dead with only his eyes, and for a moment he thought that maybe it had worked.

That is, until he realized that the laser blasts that came out of nowhere to take down their attackers had come from above, and certainly not from his blaster. Han looked up to see Luke's X-wing, showering their enemies with direct hits and ensuring that there would be no more retaliating blaster fire. He cradled Leia in his arms to protect her instinctively, even though he knew that her brother never did anything accidentally.

With the Imperials taken down, Han surveyed the damage quickly, grabbed his blaster off the ground and then helped ease Leia to her feet and back onto their shuttle to return to the flagship. "Come on!" He shouted to Rieekan who appeared to have made his way over to where Mon Mothma was lying lifeless.

The general followed close behind and the three left what Han was sure would be their last attempt at negotiating with the Empire.

 _ **A/N: Push's condition to me was that Leia had to get hurt. Not too bad, though. So it's not really my fault Leia got shot.**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

Han helped her into the shuttle and her eyes crossed from the pain shooting in her arm. It felt different, deeper than the time before when she had been shot on Endor's moon. The sting of betrayal and of second-guessing her decisions made the pain all the more unbearable.

Leia felt the click of her crash webbing as Han strapped her in. She turned her head and found Carlist Rieekan's eyes watching her protectively. She whispered, "I'm sorry. I was wrong."

She saw Carlist open his mouth to speak as everything went dark. Han's voice calling out her name was the only thing she could hear, but she couldn't make her body respond to him. Awake but not able to speak or see anything. Han yelled for the pilot to take off and as the repulsorlifts fired up, Leia's world went blank.

When Leia began to regain consciousness she winced at the still excruciating pain radiating from her arm. _Am I still on the transport?_ Finding her bearings she realized she must have made it somewhere since she was definitely lying down.

As she worked to open her eyes, she felt someone squeezing her hand and a familiar voice calling her name.

"Han?" she croaked out as she blinked at the blinding overhead lights.

"I'm right here, sweetheart," Han replied with another squeeze of her hand.

"It hurts," she whispered. Not one to usually admit pain or discomfort, Leia wondered if they hadn't realized how much pain she was in, thinking that perhaps they had underestimated her wound.

"I know, baby. Just hang in there."

Her eyes adjusted to the light somewhat and she found Han's face hovering over hers. A movement behind him caught her eye at the same time she heard Luke's voice say, "I'll go wait outside."

"No, you don't have to leave," Leia pleaded as she watched Luke walk towards her.

"You two need some time alone. I'll be right outside, I promise," Luke replied as he patted her leg and walked away with a shy smile.

Leia watched Luke walk away as confusion washed over her. Something didn't feel right. She looked back to Han for some reassurance and found none there. He was smiling at her dumbly and she could've sworn that he actually had tears in his eyes. _Oh, kreth!_

"Am I dying?" Leia asked in a whisper, barely able to believe that this is how she would finally go.

Han's reaction did not help to clear things up for her. He laughed, a hearty laugh that caused his lingering tears to burst forth. "Dying? No, you're not dying," he said as he wiped his eyes. Suddenly Leia's confusion began to turn into frustration and anger.

"Han! I know something's going on. Don't try to hide it from me," she pressed.

"Calm down. You shouldn't be working yourself up."

"I wouldn't be getting myself worked up if you would just tell me what's wrong with me," she replied as she tried to sit up but immediately regretted it.

As she sucked in a quick breath from the pain, Han's face grew serious. He laid a hand on her shoulder and settled her back down on her bed. "Sweetheart, relax. You just need to relax, okay?"

"Han." She shut her eyes, that smallest bit of exertion seeming to wick the strength right out of her. "Just tell me what's going on."

Han took a deep breath and then squeezed her hand. His dumb smile from earlier crawled back over his face and Leia prepared herself for the worst. "You're pregnant."

She hadn't prepared herself for that. She shook her head at him as if she could deny what she had just heard. A wave of nausea washed over her as if her body was trying to convince her that it was true.

"You're gonna have a baby," Han reiterated.

"I know what it means," she replied tightly and Han laughed at her again. "But-"

"I know, we both had contrachips. That's what I told 'em," Han answered her, anticipating her question. "Something about the starving body and breakdown and…fate."

Still astounded at this turn of events, Leia replied absently, "Fate?"

"Yes, fate," Han answered her as he lowered his head down to hers and kissed her on the lips. Whispering in her ear, he said, "Sometimes things happen because they're supposed to and not because you meticulously planned them that way."

For the first time she felt a smile creep across her lips. Fate, like her love for Han, had surprised her yet again. She felt a tear fall down the side of her face. "I can't have a baby," she argued. They were in the middle of war. A war that if the pain in her arm was any indication, was back on full speed ahead.

Han laughed at her again as he sat on the bed next to her. "Um, physically, I think we've proven that statement wrong."

"You know what I mean. We're at war. We're fugitives, living underground-"

"Shhh. Try not to get yourself worked up. We'll figure everything out, don't worry."

She gazed into his eyes and wanted desperately to believe him. But this was not the galaxy that she wanted to bring a child into. This was not the way she always imagined this day would happen.

"Just look at the bright side," Han said, interrupting her thoughts.

"What's that?"

"At least we're already married."

Han winked at her and she smiled at him. If there was any person in the galaxy that could put her at ease, it was Han Solo. She hadn't even grown accustomed to calling him her husband and now he would be the father of her child.

 _ **A/N: My condition from Zyra was that Leia had to be pregnant. Well, unbeknownst to her, I was planning on springing that surprise on her anyway, so it was an easy condition to meet!**_


	20. Chapter 20

A part of her felt warm and wonderful at the thought of having a baby, especially at the thought of having a baby with Han. But another part of her just felt so irresponsible. How could she have let this happen? With all of the lengths they'd gone to in order to prevent this from happening until they were good and ready, why hadn't anyone ever mentioned that contrachips were not one hundred percent effective?

Han had taken her hand between both of his and was warming it with a gentle, rubbing motion. For a moment she'd become so lost in her thoughts that she'd almost forgotten he was there. Looking up at him, she saw his handsome face looking down at her reassuringly, knowing that she was less than thrilled with the news. How was that supposed to make him feel?

She brought her other hand to rest on top of his and squeezed him gently, looking into his eyes. His face was still thinner than it used to be, like an adolescent who hadn't quite filled out yet. She had a sudden flash of a young boy with brown hair and her brown eyes but Han's features and smile. Maybe the timing wasn't exactly perfect, but how could she not be happy about having a child with Han?

She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it before she finally spoke. "I should've known that one day you'd get me into trouble," she teased.

"Is that what they call it when a husband gets his wife pregnant?" he asked. "I thought they called that starting a family."

"You don't see a whole lot of families in a war," she replied, a bit more cynically.

"I told you already, we'll figure it out. You've taken on the Empire. A tiny baby should be a snap."

"What about you?" She asked.

"What _about_ me?"

"You've never said anything about wanting to be a father."

He lowered his head to look directly at her as his eyes grew serious and he still held her hands clutched in his. "Sweetheart, I know that we haven't talked about this sort of thing, but it _is_ something I've thought about before. I know I never had a dad of my own, and I never really got to see how they're supposed to act and what they're supposed to do. But I do know that I have wanted nothing more than to have a family with you and learn how to be the best dad any kid could ask for. And I also know that they're already going to have the most amazing mom in the galaxy."

How did he always seem to know exactly what to say to make things all right? Without responding, she brought a hand behind his head and he took the invitation to lean in for a kiss. Once he pulled away, she said, "You promise you'll help change diapers?"

Han laughed. "Absolutely."

**************

Leia had fallen asleep and Han left the room for a bit to go and find something to eat. Since his rescue he'd been suffering from almost constant ravenous hunger, a sure sign that his body was desperate to return to normal. As he rounded one of the corridors, he literally bumped into Luke.

"Hey, kid, sorry about that."

"No problem, Han. So, did you tell her?"

"Yeah, I told her."

"And? How did she take it?"

"Well, probably as good as you'd expect. Not exactly what we'd planned on, not exactly the best timing, but eventually she came to her senses. As hard as it is to believe, apparently the idea of having kids with me isn't quite as horrifying as you might think."

The Jedi laughed and patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder. "Han, I wouldn't want anyone else to be the father of my nieces and nephews. I'm happy for you two."

"Thanks, Luke. And as the uncle, you're going to have to help us figure out how exactly to best bring up this kid in the middle of a war. Or even better, help us figure out a way to end it before he or she even has to see any of it."

"I'll do everything I can, Han. And you, don't do anything stupid and go getting yourself killed. We don't want them growing up without a father."

"Hey, it's me!"

*********

Sometime later Leia had awakened in her bed to see Han asleep in the chair next to her, his neck bent at an almost horrific angle and his hand resting gently against hers on the bed. One thing was certain: she wasn't going to have to worry about him being anything less than a devoted father and husband.

She pulled her hand from his to wipe a few stray hairs out of her eyes and he immediately stirred, opening his eyes and looking at her. "Hey, sweetheart, feeling any better?"

After learning of her pregnancy, she'd completely forgotten about her blaster wound. Reaching a hand up to touch the injured appendage wrapped in bacta-soaked bandages, she was pleasantly surprised to find that she hardly winced at the touch. "A lot better, actually." Now, if only the healing of the physical pain was all she had to worry about…

"Han, what's going to happen next? Has there been any discussion?"

He heaved a sigh, obviously not wanting her to get all caught up in the war already given her current condition. But there was no way she was going to sit things out for the next nine months just because she was going to have a baby.

"Well, they figured Mon was the only traitor in the situation. She was going to give us up to Imperial rule and they were going to leave her in a position of power to make us think that this 'agreement' meant that they weren't the ones in control."

"General Rieekan," Leia said softly, looking down at her hands. "I was so-"

"Forget it, Leia," Han said. "It's not your fault, okay? You made the decision with the information you were given. And almost anyone will tell you, including me, that it was the right decision. How were you supposed to know that Mon had turned traitor on us?"

She shook her head. "I just should've known," she said sadly.

"Sweetheart, everyone makes mistakes."

"Yeah, well, if these are the kinds of mistakes I'm going to be making then how can I be expected to be a good mother?"

"Because you had a good role model," another voice said from the doorway.

Leia looked up to see Carlist Rieekan leaning against the wall and looking at her. "I'm so sorry," was all she could think to say.

He stepped forward and smiled. "It's all right, Lelila," he said, using her childhood nickname. "None of us can be expected to be right all the time. I know I certainly haven't always made all of the right decisions. And neither did your father."

"But did any of those decisions nearly get us all killed? Nearly leave us all in the hands of the Empire?"

"I think you'd be surprised," he said. "And the key word there is 'nearly'," he replied. "You are an incredibly intelligent young woman, Leia. And a remarkable leader. But nobody's perfect. And I hope that you can forgive yourself. Besides, I hear that I owe you another congratulations," he said.

Leia instinctively ran her hands down over her stomach, remembering the tiny embryo growing inside. "Yes, well, the timing leaves a lot to be desired," she said, almost able to force a smile.

"Well, trust me when I tell you that we will do everything we can to make sure that that baby will be born into a galaxy where freedom is the norm."

Leia did smile then and couldn't formulate words. Han sensed it and answered for her, standing and extending his hand to shake Carlist's. "Thank you, General," Han said.

"You've got your work cut out for you," Carlist said as he made his way toward the door. "She was a feisty one when she was a little girl." And with a wink, he was gone again.


	21. Chapter 21

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

Turning to look at Leia, Han smiled and said, "What does he mean _was_?"

Leia lowered her eyebrows at him and gave him a smirk. "Funny," she replied as he sat on the side of the bed next to her and she placed her hand on his thigh. "Han?"

He looked down at her dreamily. He seemed to have had his head in the clouds ever since she had woken up to find him a father-to-be and although his excitement warmed her very soul, there were things she wanted to say.

"I want to get a couple of things straight," she said. "I don't want you getting all over-protective of me and expecting me to sit around knitting booties while we're fighting this war. There's nothing physically wrong with me where I can't do exactly what I was doing before. And if you even whisper anything about leaving me behind anywhere, I'll shoot you."

He had sat and let her speak, not interrupting even once and he didn't look the least bit surprised, which she guessed he shouldn't be. "Sweetheart, I wouldn't expect anything different, but you've got to promise me something."

"What?"

He took her hand in his. "You have to remember that you're taking a risk with someone else's life now. That if you take a shot or even a stun blast, you have more than just _your_ safety to consider."

"Don't you think I'm always careful?"

"I'm just asking you to promise me that you won't forget."

She nodded her head. "I promise."

When Leia walked into the conference room on her husband, General Solo's arm, she felt invincible. The news of her pregnancy had come as a shock but the longer she lived with it the more she felt empowered and motivated by it. If there was ever any reason to fight for peace in the galaxy, this was it.

After speaking so strongly for Mon Mothma's plan, Leia was unsure of how her return would be received. But when she and Han walked in, they were swamped with well wishes and congratulations.

Everyone began to settle around the table. Luke, Chewie, Lando, Leia and Han with Admiral Ackbar, Generals Madine and Rieekan and others.

"Here we are again," General Rieekan observed wryly and there was a nervous wave of laughter that traveled around the room.

"Before we begin our discussions, I'd like to say something, General Rieekan," Admiral Ackbar interjected, his voice gravelly and solemn.

"By all means, Admiral Ackbar."

The Mon Calamari Admiral stood. "Attempting to forge a truce with the Empire was by no means a mistake. The mistake was made by them, when they chose to waste a rare opportunity for peace. In the history books there will be much praise dedicated to our victories. The destruction of two super weapons by a fledgling bunch of idealists. I can almost see the words written out already. But if we would have failed, how different those words would be. We would no longer be idealists, but fools instead. We cannot be ashamed for failing and we must not ever quit trying."

The room was silent for a moment and Han squeezed Leia's hand with his own. She felt a sudden burst of moisture in her eyes and she blinked until her vision cleared. _Please don't tell me I'm getting hormonal already!_

Admiral Ackbar took his seat and Lando said, "Here, here. Now how do we kick some Imperial ass?"

The room burst with laughter and the tightening in Leia's chest loosened a bit. And that's when the real planning began.

"…We set our sights back on Coruscant. That's where we failed and that's where we must redeem ourselves," Madine was saying.

Han agreed. "Whoever controls Coruscant, controls the galaxy."

Leia felt uneasy. Capturing the galaxy's capital city was no easy task. In fact, that is exactly what they were trying to do when this whole mess started. She asked, "What have we learned from our last attempt to capture Coruscant?"

Admiral Ackbar took the floor. "Even with our decisive blow over Endor, we are still far outgunned by the Imperial Remnant. Especially when taking into account the considerable shielding and defenses the planet of Coruscant itself has at its disposal."

"So what makes us think that we can take it now?" Luke questioned.

"Same goal, new strategy," Rieekan countered.

"A direct attack is out of the question, as Admiral Ackbar has just alluded to," Madine said, "but a stealth attack. An infiltration. A coup with the least amount of bloodshed possible. That's our strategy. And I'm sorry for disagreeing with you, General, but it's not a new one."

"No offense taken, Madine," General Rieekan answered. "You've described the reason for our previous failure precisely. Covert operations and surreptitiousness is what got us as far as our victory at Endor. It was a mistake to switch to all out battle in our final run for Coruscant."

"That's all well and good as long as we have a plan," Han said.

Chewie grumbled and shook his fist at Han.

"I do too like to plan. I just don't always _follow_ the plan. It's called improvising."

"When you say a coup," Leia said, ignoring Han and Chewie's argument. "Who exactly are we trying to overthrow? Has the Imperial Remnant named a predecessor for the Emperor?"

"Technically the Executor would be next in line behind the Emperor followed by the Grand Vizier. Rumor is Executor Nalc and Grand Vizier Pestage are fighting for dominance over Coruscant while the Imperial Council is lobbying to absorb their positions and rule the galaxy themselves. The rest of the universe remains a free-for-all between all of the Grand Admirals, Grand Generals and Grand Moffs," Rieekan answered.

"What a _grand_ mess," Han returned.

Leia shook her head. "Even if we take Coruscant, you can't think that any of these Imperial grand anythings are going to take direction from us, can we?"

"If we take Coruscant," General Madine said, pounding his finger down on the table for emphasis. "Swiftly and decisively, we'll pull the remaining core worlds in with us. The Corellias and Duros, the Commenors and Kiribis. Once we establish ourselves on Coruscant, those systems – along with their firepower – will come in line. And then we can spread throughout the rest of the galaxy, pushing the remaining Imperial fleets back into their sectors."

"Will we let them sit back and lick their wounds? The censured rancor just waiting to come back and bite us?" Lando asked.

"At first," Madine answered.

"We can't afford to overextend ourselves again. Let's keep our immediate goals in sight and worry about the rest when we get there," Rieekan added.

" _How_ do we get there? Nobody's answered that yet," Han asked.

"That's what we're here for today, General. Any ideas?" Madine answered.

"I'm sure they'll be expecting us to retaliate," Luke said.

"Probably expecting us to do just what we're talking about here," Lando added.

"So they'll be beefing up their security all over Coruscant," Han mused.

"What we need is a diversion," Leia said.

"Maybe something nearby so we can bring our troops into Coruscant hastily," Rieekan noted.

"What? Like attacking Corellia? They'll see through something like that," Lando said.

"Maybe not Corellia but you're on the right track," Han said absently, rubbing at his chin.

"You've got something?" Leia asked.

"Part of something," he answered. "Why have a diversion just for a diversion's sake?"

"What do you mean, General?" Ackbar questioned.

"We put all of our firepower on capturing a core world. Not one of the big ones, but one that would matter. Like…Kuat. There's no way they wouldn't take a bid for Kuat seriously and it's close enough to draw firepower from Coruscant. And if we can actually takeover the planet…"

"We control their top-producing shipyard," Madine finished.

"And a core world," Leia added.

"Okay, so that's our diversion, now what do we do about Coruscant?" Luke asked.

"Do I have to come up with everything?" Han replied.

Chewie, who had been quiet during the discussion, grumbled something to Han.

"When's that?" Han asked, interested.

Another grumble and a bark and Han replied, "That might just work."

"Once we get the security credentials, they'll be hard-pressed to tell the difference between who was summoned and who was sent," Leia added.

"What are we talking about here?" Rieekan inquired patiently.

"Yes, care to clue us in?" Madine asked, a little less patiently.

"A delegation of Wookiees is to appear on Coruscant to have their grievances aired before the Imperial Council," Leia explained.

"Yeah, the Empire is trying to shake their xenophobia, nutso persona and appear sympathetic to the Wookiees' plight," Han scoffed.

Chewie let out a long slow growl.

"Chewie's right. The delegation has to appear, even though they know it's nothing more than a charade. If they don't appear then the Empire can say that they tried and the Wookiees were uncooperative," Leia explained.

"And the Empire has to realize that, so they'll be expecting the delegation. Do we know how many Wookiees have been invited?" Madine replied, his interest piqued.

"Does it matter? Any more than two and we're golden," Han answered smugly.

Chewie grumbled.

"Fifteen? Why don't we take Byss while we're at it?" Han exclaimed triumphantly.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but I like it. It's not only simple and smart. But it has a certain amount of justice in it," Rieekan said soberly.

"Yes. A group of sentient beings that the Empire has treated as…disposable," Leia glanced at Chewie, a tinge of sadness and understanding shared between them. The only beings treated more unfairly than the Alderaanians by the Empire were the Wookiees. "How appropriate would it be for them to take back the seat of the Galactic Government in the name of all of the oppressed?"

"I for one would love to see the look on the Imperial Council's faces!" Lando laughed.

"Well, consider your wish granted," Han said smartly, "because I'm not sending Chewie in there alone."

 _ **A/N: My condition from Zyra was: "Hmmm... um, Leia has to get out of the med center (either discharged or she insists on it) and maybe they have to come up with what they are going to do next concerning the Empire? I don't even know what they would do. I guess they have to find out who is in charge and take 'em down."**_

 _ ***2017 Note from Zyra: Obviously I was having trouble coming up with a condition and also didn't really know how to resolve the plot.**_


	22. Chapter 22

Han and Leia held hands in silence as they retreated back to their cabin on the _Falcon_ rather than opting for temporary quarters on the battle cruiser. While Han had always felt a need to keep Leia from any and all harm, the knowledge that she was now carrying their child added a whole other level of desperation to protect her. In spite of the fact that she probably required the least help in protecting herself of any woman he'd ever even heard of. She maybe even needed less help than he did.

When they were finally alone in their sanctuary, Han silently directed Leia to sit at the edge of the bed and then looked down at her, knowing that she was not going to like what he had to say. Not letting go of her hand, he finally quietly spoke. "I don't want you to have anything to do with this mission."

She heaved an exasperated sigh and appeared incredibly annoyed that he had already broken his promise. After rolling her eyes, she responded firmly, "You do remember when I told you I'd shoot you if you asked me to stay behind, right? I wasn't kidding."

He sat down next to her and took a deep breath, wishing just this once that the woman he loved was the type who could sit back and let others take care of the important things. "I know what you said earlier, but thinking about it as a possibility and knowing it might be a reality are two different things." He reached over and placed a hand against her stomach. "It's not that I think you being pregnant makes you any less capable of doing anything that needs to be done. It's that I don't know what I'd do if I lost both you and our child."

He had expected anger, as that was her typical response, but when he looked into her eyes he saw her expression soften a bit before she replied. "Listen, I appreciate your concern and I understand how you feel, but if you want me to stay behind then it only seems fair that you do, too."

"They could really use my help. And I'm a lot more expendable than you are."

"Not to me, you aren't. Do you think I like the idea of letting my child grow up without a father? Or losing my husband? I was just getting used to calling you that."

He exhaled heavily and pursed his lips. "You know it's not the same thing."

"I beg to differ. I think it's _exactly_ the same thing. I want us to be in this together, Han. If you want me to stay behind because you can't stand losing me then I think it's only fair that you stay behind because I can't stand losing you. I already told you I can't go through that again. Either we both go, or neither of us goes. It's up to you."

He saw the gentle pleading in her eyes, realizing that there was really no good argument against that. "You must really love me, huh?"

She shrugged. "I guess you'll do."

Reaching up his hand, he ran his fingers through the short hair on her head that was still far from the long tresses that had only recently graced her head. "Why can't we just hide in here forever?"

Short hair or not, the smile she gave him then still made his breath catch in his throat. "We don't have forever, but I don't think anyone is expecting us anywhere for a while."

He brushed his thumb along her cheek, desperately hoping that whatever happened they'd eventually be able to raise their child in a peaceful galaxy. "I can't think of a much better way to pass the time than making love to the mother of my child."

"That's how we got into this mess in the first place."

"I didn't hear any complaints when we were making that baby."

She laughed. "And you're probably not going to hear any complaints now, either," she replied before leaning in and kissing him.

They wasted no time before they were undressed and Han's lips moved against every inch of Leia's body, paying particular attention to the smooth skin of her stomach where their baby was growing. This was not usually his favorite spot to concentrate on, but he was overwhelmed with the knowledge that inside was a tiny life that they had created together.

He felt her hands slip under his arms and gently pull to get him to move back up her body while he blazed a trail with his mouth along the way. When their lips met once again she hugged her knees tightly against his sides as he gently rested his weight against her.

Somehow she managed to roll them so that she was on top, her lips never leaving his and her legs now straddling his waist.

He brought his hands to rest against her hips and guided her to take him inside, both exhaling sharply at their joining. She slowly rocked herself back and forth and he briefly wondered just how many children they might wind up with if they continued to enjoy this past time as much as they did currently, which he had no doubt they would.

She rested her hands against his chest and sat up, looking down and smiling at him. He knew he had heard that expectant mothers sometimes had a certain glow about them, and he'd always believed the notion to be ridiculous. Whether it was her being pregnant or just the intense love for her he was feeling right then, she certainly appeared to be radiating something. Before he had a chance to contemplate it any further she intensified her movements and while he started moving his own hips to match her rhythm, he lost any ability for conscious thought.

A while later, when they were exhausted and once again resting comfortably in each other's arms, Han made a decision. "Sweetheart, I don't think either one of us should stay behind."

"I knew you'd come to your senses, but what made you change your mind?"

"I can't think of anyone else I trust to do things right. And I think our baby has a lot better chance of being born into a galaxy I'd want to raise it in if its parents are playing a big part in making sure that's the case."

"I promise to be careful if you do."

He kissed her forehead. "Deal."

"We do make a pretty good team," she replied, holding him tighter. "Speaking of which, how about we get a little something to eat? That teamwork we just finished made me pretty hungry."

"On one condition," he said, looking down at her.

"What's that?"

"I bring the food in here and we eat naked."

She did not hesitate in her answer. "Deal."

***************  
 _ **A/N: Push's condition to me first was that even though she told him not to, Han had to ask her to stay behind. And then she added another condition that they had to have sex. So I was just following the rules.**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

With only three weeks before the Wookiee delegation was expected to appear on Coruscant and two separate missions to prepare for before then, Han and Leia were glad that they had taken the time to enjoy each other when they had all those days ago. Between the never-ending meetings and Leia's waning stamina, the only time the pair got to spend together was either next to each other in a conference room or sleeping in the quarters of the _Falcon_ – and for Leia, that meant really sleeping.

Han had never seen her sleep so much or so soundly and though her body had not yet changed in any way to indicate her progressing pregnancy, this change in her physical resilience left him even more worried about her presence during their mission. Of course, he had expressed his concerns and their conversation went a little like this:

"What do you think I'll do, Han? Fall asleep during the mission?"

"No, but I can see the change in you, you're not the same. I know you can feel the difference and don't tell me you can't."

"I can feel the difference, yes. And I know my limitations. I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it. How about you try and do the same?"

Han could feel his jaw set and he could see in her eyes that she knew he didn't like it, but he had relented and they hadn't talked about it again since.

Leia's eyes kept darting to the door. They were in yet another meeting. Still trying to figure out how they would transform a conference room meeting between fifteen Wookiees and a few Imperials to an attempted coup. They had split into two groups. One group was handling the invasion of Kuat and one group, the one Han and Leia were in, was handling the takeover on Coruscant.

Admiral Ackbar was heading up the Kuat mission and had dubbed his team Operation Commo. It was short for commotion, of which they planned on making a lot of. The Corsucant Team had been named Operation D.F., which stood for down fall. As with anything, the two teams had become competitive – keeping tabs on each other's progress.

Currently Operation D.F. was losing miserably, unable to figure out how to capitalize on their free pass inside Imperial Center. With their deadline fast approaching and with Han and Lando on Team D.F., two infamous gamblers who hated to lose, the tensions building during their meetings had been rising to a crescendo. Still, Leia's attention was divided between what was being said at their meeting and keeping tabs on the conference room door.

Had she been pressed to admit why she was so distracted, she would've made up any assortment of lies to escape admitting the truth. But the truth was, she was hungry - starved, even - and the server droids were late. This pregnancy was wreaking havoc on her body and she hadn't even gained a kilo yet. Basically if she wasn't sleeping, she was hungry…or nauseous and sometimes she was all three at once. She did her best to hide it, not wanting to worry Han or appear frail to anyone on the team, but more and more she felt less and less in control of her changing body. Luke seemed to pick up on her distress the most, probably some Force thing, she allowed. Her perceptive brother had been sworn to secrecy, but that didn't stop him from eyeing her curiously every time she looked his way.

Finally the conference door slid open and the parade of boxy, food-service droids wheeled into the conference room. The mere smell of impending lunch caused her hunger pains and nausea to go into overdrive. As usual, the group around the table kept talking, waiting for an opportune time to break and eat lunch.

She saw Luke fidget in his chair as if her discomfort were pounding him from across the room like waves against the shore. But it was her husband who surprised her when he leaned over and said, "You want me to get up and fix you a plate?"

She shook her head. "No, I can wait."

"Right," he said sarcastically. "That's why you look three shades whiter than usual."

She opened her mouth to argue, but Han pressed his hands on the table – cutting Crix Madine off mid-sentence – as he stood up and said, "I'm starved. How 'bout we table this til after lunch?"

Leia was momentarily appalled, but when several other people around the table grumbled in agreement, she let it slide. As everyone started to move she felt Han's hand on her shoulder and he leaned down and whispered to her, "Sit tight, I'll get you a plate. Oh, and you can thank me later."

Leia smiled and not for the first time thought about how lucky she was to have found Han Solo. But her ray of happiness was brief and soon clouded over by thoughts of this mission. She was missing something, she knew. It was something so simple yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Everyone was looking to her for ideas and information since she had been one of the last people to legitimately spend time in Imperial Center as Senator from Alderaan. Every waking minute and every night before she succumbed to her exhaustion, she would play the logistics of a delegation meeting over and over in her mind. She thought of air ducts and smoke bombs, but all of that would be expected and covered with Imperial security countermeasures. It was the unexpected, the unthought-of that she was reaching for and unable to find.

"Here you go," Han's voice broke into her thoughts as he slid a plate in front of her and sat down with one for himself.

Her husband had made her a plate of food that was bigger than his own. His heart was in the right place, but she couldn't fail to comment on it. "I'm pregnant, sweetheart. Not a Wookiee."

Han winked at her and something tingled in the back of her mind. It was as if someone was whispering for her to _look_. She heard Han say, "I've heard that the way to a pregnant woman's heart is through her stomach."

The feeling was stronger now, almost overwhelming. This was it, it was practically screaming at her. But she was missing something. _Look at what?_ Her vision blurred out of focus as she concentrated. The last few minutes of her life began to swirl around her. Han's wink, her plate of food, her comment about Wookiees, his comment about the way to a pregnant woman's heart, lunch arriving, the tension. It all started clicking into place.

"That's it," she whispered, the first hints of the picture coming into view.

"What?" Han asked. "What's it?"

"What you just said. The way is through her stomach," Leia repeated his words, more to herself than to Han, still trying hard not to lose the vision. It was so strong, so adamant. Was this a Force thing?

"What're you talking about?" Han's voice was sounding worried now and he put his hand on her forearm. "Leia, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

And then she had it. She blinked, turning to look at Han. "What you said," she explained, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. "It's brilliant."

Han's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You know I didn't make that up, right? And the saying really doesn't even go like that."

"Yeah, I know. But it's the answer. It's so simple…and it's been here the entire time."

She, Han and Luke brainstormed her idea while they ate lunch. The only thing that surprised her more than how much they had figured out during that time was how the food on her plate had somehow disappeared while they talked. If she continued to eat this way, she would be Wookiee-sized before she knew it. How could something that was still too small to expand her waistline, make her this hungry? She would have to ponder on that later, for now; they had a plan to pitch.

The idea was that, after deactivating their conference room's security feed and over-taking the few Imperials that would've been assigned to them, they would utilize the food-service droids to penetrate Imperial Center. With a delegation that included fifteen Wookiees, the number of food-service droids would easily give them a comfortable number of units to work with. The majority of droids would be modified and equipped with remote detonated coma gas/bomb capabilities and strategically dispersed throughout Imperial Center once the Rebels reprogrammed them.

It would be impossible for any-sized Wookiee to fit into one of the droids. That would leave Han, Lando, Luke and Leia, the only humans on the mission, to place themselves inside a few of the droids and infiltrate key areas within the building.

The war room, which was located at the top floor of Imperial Center and acted as the brains behind all of the planetary defenses and shields would be their number one priority and the group agreed that two people should probably be assigned to take it over. The second target would be the security level, located on the fifth floor with the third target being the communications center housed in the basement.

With only the four humans capable of fitting into the droids, that would leave two people for the war room and one each for security and communications. They would reveal themselves at a pre-programmed time, detonate the coma gas where necessary and have the bombs as leverage/back-up. A contingent of Wookiees would be assigned to each level/area to be let in as soon as the Rebels had control of the situation.

By the time their own food-service droids had left the conference room, the four of them felt pretty confident in the success of their plan. Even though it had been Leia's idea, it was Han that got the nod from the group to pitch the proposal. And so, as the door slid shut on the conference room, Han stood and called the meeting back to order by uttering the words that everyone - whether they had realized it or not, had been waiting to hear - when he said, "We've got an idea…"


	24. Chapter 24

Han explained their idea with an enthusiasm he hadn't felt in a long time. Everyone listened intently, and their faces only really started to appear as though they liked the idea once Han mentioned that Leia was the one who came up with it.

Operation D.F. finally had a plan to rival those on Operation Commo. The meeting had adjourned, most other attendees exiting the room, and Han went to sit and join his friends, exhaling a breath of relief that they finally had something to work with. At some point in the middle of his speech he'd noticed Luke got that far off look in his eyes that always made him worried, but he ignored it until he finished his speech.

"Great idea, sweetheart," Han said, leaning over and kissing Leia's forehead. "Now all we have to do is actually manage to pull it off."

"Han?" Luke said in such a way that instantly made him nervous.

Looking at his new brother-in-law, Han felt his stomach drop, and not in the good way like when Leia would give him that smile that just drove him crazy. "Yeah?" he replied, hoping that his next sentence would have something to do maybe with what they were going to have for dinner that night.

"While you were talking just then, I… saw something."

Hoping maybe he could change whatever Luke might say next, he said, "What, the handsome man giving a speech just then? I hear Alderaanian princesses can't keep their eyes off the guy."

Leia playfully slapped his arm with the back of her hand and Luke smiled just a little before his face grew serious and Han knew he wasn't going to like what he had to say next. "I think Leia and I are the ones who are supposed to take the war room."

"Fine, you can come with us, I'm sure Lando can handle himself."

"No, Han. There's something telling me that it can only be the two of us and you can't be there."

It took him a moment to try and absorb the words, unsure if he was hearing him correctly. "If you think for one second that I'm going to leave her alone-"

"Please, Han, just hear me out," Luke interrupted.

Leia spoke up next. "I don't like the sound of this either, Luke."

"See?" Han said.

"I don't really like the idea of letting Han out of my sight, either. Look what happened the last time I did."

"I know this isn't what either one of you want to hear, but I'm getting a very strong feeling that that would be a very bad idea."

"Luke, are you sure?" Leia asked softly.

Her brother merely nodded and Han stood up angrily, running his hand through his hair. Leia got to her feet and took his hand, attempting to soothe him. "Han, you know that he wouldn't say it if he didn't think it was true."

"Damn it, Leia, why do we always have to listen to these Force visions? I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want to leave you, either, but don't you trust that Luke will protect me just as well as you could."

Han's tense shoulders relaxed a bit as he watched Leia's face. His pride told him that nobody could keep Leia safe like he could, but in his heart he knew that Luke, with the added advantage of the Force which he was finding it more and more difficult to deny the existence of, might actually be better equipped to keep Leia from harm. And those damned Force visions had never proven wrong in the past.

Han turned to Luke and said very seriously, "You better take care of her and my baby."

"With my life, Han. I promise. You know I wouldn't separate the two of you if I didn't feel very strongly about this."

He nodded. "I know."

"Well, I'm going to let Madine know the plans. I'll see you two in a bit," Luke said before leaving the couple alone in the conference room.

Leia moved forward and slipped her arms around Han's waist. "You're getting so mature in your old age. I expected a much longer rant over how much you can't stand Jedi and their crazy Force visions."

"I ain't that old, princess, and you of all people should be well aware of that. I hate to admit it, but I trust Luke as much as I trust you. Just don't tell him I said that."

She shook her head, "Never." And then she tilted her chin up and he leaned down to meet her halfway in a gentle kiss.

"So you get Luke looking after you and I'm stuck with Lando?"

Leia suddenly looked worried. "You're right, that doesn't sound like a great idea, does it? But I'm sure Luke saw all of the possibilities. I thought you didn't need anyone to look after you anyway? Don't you just love telling everyone always how you can take care of yourself?"

"Well, yeah, but now that I got a wife I was kind of looking forward to having her take care of me for a change."

"I think I take care of a lot of things for you."

He was enjoying the lightness of their conversation, but he started thinking about how distracted he'd be throughout this entire mission while constantly worrying about Leia. "What do you say after all of this is over we find a nice, quiet planet to settle down on and raise our kids and stop with all of this war stuff."

"Kids, huh? Plural?"

He smiled and nodded. "Come on, sweetheart, you know that eventually there are definitely gonna be at least a couple more. You can't keep your hands off me."

"Well, if we are going to spend the rest of our lives on a peaceful planet you're not going to have an excuse to wear that blaster everywhere all the time," she said, accentuating her point by sliding her hand up his thigh to his gun rig.

"You like it when I wear the blaster?"

She nodded. "I like taking it off you, too," she said, leaning in and resting her head against his chest while he brought his arms around her and held her. The temporary change of subject had almost taken his mind off the issue at hand. But as he held Leia's warm body and felt her heart beat against his ribs, thinking of the other tiny heart beating inside of her, his worry crept in again.

Leia seemed to know what he was thinking. "I promise to be careful if you do, remember? We'll be all right."

"Is that a Force vision talking?"

"No, just a gut feeling."

"Good, I trust those more."

She leaned back and kissed him again and then said, "Let's go tell Lando what we decided."

A few minutes later, they had found the other scoundrel and explained to him who was going to be partnered with whom. "So the Force twins get each other and you're sticking me with this guy? The guy couldn't even get away from Jabba the Hutt and that thing can hardly move!"

"Easy, Lando. You think I like being stuck with you? I could think of a whole lot of better options."

"But none better looking," he said as he winked at Leia.

"Hey, what did I tell you about flirting with my wife?"

"Relax, you pirate. She's only got eyes for you. It's irritating."

"That true, honey?" Han asked his wife.

"Usually, but we could probably come up with some exceptions."

"Exceptions?" Han asked, incredulous. "What do you-"

She reached up and put a finger against his lips. "Will you calm down? You know I was kidding. I don't like it when you're this tense."

"Yeah, well, I can't really help it right now."

"Han?" Lando said and Han turned to look at his old friend. "You know they'll be all right, right?"

He hated it when even Lando started acting all rational.

"All right, enough of all of you ganging up on me. Let's set this thing in motion."

********  
 _ **A/N: Push's condition for me was that Luke had to have a Force vision that said that he and Leia are the ones that are meant to take the war room together, leaving Lando and Han to handle the other areas and separating Han and Leia during the mission. How Han and Leia react…is, of course, up to you.**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

The non-descript Corellian Corvette landed on the designated platform on Coruscant, or Imperial City as it was known by the current occupants. The pilot was a twin-horned, hairy, kaffe-skinned Gotal – who, from the looks of it, knew his way around a cockpit. He was dressed in traditional male Gotal attire with knee-high boots appropriate for much more rough terrain than the streets of Imperial City were likely to offer. Black loose-fitting pants with a sleeveless, hip-length jacket and a utility belt completed the look.

Once the pilot had powered down the repulsors, he turned to his co-pilot – a male Wookiee – and asked, "Can you take it from here, pal? I wanna go check on Leia."

Chewbacca, having undergone a dye job that transformed his normally auburn-flecked fur to a black and white spectacle similar to a brilliant starscape, howled back in affirmation.

Han Solo rose from his chair, moved to itch at a spot right under his nose, but remembering his elaborate make-up job, settled for wiggling his lips and nose around for a minute trying to relieve the strong desire to scratch.

He made his way out of the cockpit and headed aft, passing by the dozen or so Wookiee passengers with a polite nod. When he rounded the corner to a common area that opened up to the passenger cabin doors, he found Lando, the suave smuggler's cape swirling around at the sound of Han's approaching footsteps.

"Luke's in there with her," Lando announced, without being asked and indicated one of the passenger cabin doors with a tilt of his alien chin. He was disguised as an Arcona. Han suspected that his friend had chosen that particular species solely on the fact that they were known to wear long, flowing, elaborately tailored capes. "She's had a rough time of it," Lando added, as Han brushed passed him with a nod and mumbled thanks.

Han entered the cabin to find it drenched in quiet darkness, the only light spilling across the floor from the 'fresher door at the opposite side of the room. As if sensing his entrance, a large figure appeared in the opened doorway, eclipsing the sparse lighting with its towering form.

"We've landed?" The strange voice asked.

Even though Han knew that it was Luke behind the makeup and the mask, he still couldn't help but flinch a little. Luke was dressed as an Anomid. The species had no vocal chords and spoke through elaborate masks which allowed them to communicate with other species. The mask was similar to a breath mask, but was not designed for breathing. Regardless, Han found the booming voice and mechanical breathing a little unsettling in more ways than one.

"Yeah. How is she?" Han said, moving toward Luke as the Jedi stepped out of the doorway allowing a wedge of light to eagerly flood back into the room. Apparently hyperspace travel had not agreed with Han's pregnant wife and since he had been flying the ship, he hadn't seen her since they exited hyperspace when he had left her huddled in the corner of the 'fresher cradling a bucket.

"We were able to get her disguise on and I don't think she has anything left to…you know. So, she hasn't done that in a while." Luke's boyish shrug and the familiar tone of his voice overrode his intimidating disguise.

"Great. Now she'll be operating on an empty stomach," Han grumbled.

Luke put his pale-skinned hand on Han's shoulder. "I'll go and get some ration bars and ready the troops."

"Thanks," Han replied as he side-stepped his brother-in-law and headed into the 'fresher.

He found Leia standing in front of the sink adjusting one of her earrings with her long, suction-cupped fingers. Han stepped up beside her. "Here, let me help you with that."

Leia dropped her hands and curled them around the edge of the sink. "Thank you," she said, as she watched Han's fingers work the clasp of the decorative ear piece.

"How ya feelin'?" Han asked, finished with the earring he placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her around to face him.

"Lucky for us we chose a green-skinned species for me. It saved tons of Alliance credits on make-up."

Han could tell that she was smiling somewhere underneath her disguise. Leia was dressed as a Rodian, another unsettling choice in Han's opinion. The last Rodian he had tangled with ended up face-down dead on a cantina table in Mos Eisley. "Can you eat with that thing?" He asked, eyeing up her stubby snout.

"Yes, but throwing up in it may not be pretty." She wrapped her arms around his waist and tilted her green head up at him, her large multi-faceted eyes somehow having the same effect on him as her big, brown human ones. He thought of kissing her, but between his small sliver of a mouth and her rounded muzzle, he settled for a peck on her bumpy forehead. "I'll try to eat something," she whispered as he kissed her.

When he drew away, he licked his lips. She tasted of molded synthetics, or maybe it was him. "Luke's rounding up some ration bars," he replied. "You ready for this?"

"I am," she answered confidently, but Han knew that was something that she could fake as easily as the movements of the little antennae on her head. "I feel much better now that we've touched down."

"Good," he replied. "We stick together until the conference room. I don't want you out of my sight."

"Understood." Her long reptilian fingers ran up his chest and gripped him at his shoulders. "You will be careful, won't you?"

"Always." Again there was an urge to kiss her and an even stronger one to just whisk her away forever and say to hell with the Empire and Coruscant and to the Jedi and…

"Let's get moving, you two," the alien, breath-masked voice called from the doorway to their quarters.

"I love you, Leia Solo," Han drawled out to the green-skinned alien in his arms.

"I love you, too," she replied and then grabbed his hand in hers and dragged him toward the exit.

 ** _A/N: Zyra's condition for me: They actually have to leave for the mission, but how far they get is up to you._**


	26. Chapter 26

Talking about going somewhere in disguise and actually going through with it while praying to every god that nobody recognized you were two very different things. If Leia weren't already nauseous from the early stages of her pregnancy, she was sure she'd feel that way now anyway.

Leia had always preferred being more straight forward with people. Lies and deceit were not part of her normal repertoire, but in war, exceptions had to be made. The Empire had made them desperate and looking around at her usually familiar friends and barely being able to recognize them reminded her of just how desperate their situation had become.

As they walked through the corridors she noted how she could still recognize the way Han walked underneath that elaborate disguise. Even if she hadn't known it was him she would be able to pick him out just based on the way his long legs strode so purposefully, arms swinging in time with his steps and his strong shoulders and straight back. She wondered if it was maybe his military training. It was odd seeing an unfamiliar being with his walk, even if she knew it was him. It hadn't been very long and yet she already missed his face.

She could feel her heart beating fast, trying to calm the nerves of anticipation and wondering whether their plan would work. And the dire consequences if it didn't. She had to remind herself to remain optimistic when terrible thoughts started to enter her head. Thoughts such as this being the last time she saw Luke or Lando or Han. Or if something happened to her and she left Han behind. Silly idealism has gotten you this far and you're not dead yet. Optimism can do wonders, even if it is a bit naïve.

She felt a chill at being inside the Imperial Center, enemy territory. If any one of these people found out who they were they'd be shot on sight and the plan would fail. For now, they could only home that Operation Commo. had taken care of its part of the plan. Mostly there was just waiting to be done.

They were led inside a large meeting room and seated around a table so large it required voice enhancers to hear those on the far end. The Wookiees looked ridiculous seated next to the humanoid-sized beings. It was certainly a diverse group.

Leia had a hard time concentrating during the meeting. The only sound she was focused on was her own heartbeat thundering in her ears. Han was seated to her left and she wanted to take his hand under the table, but showing affection of any kind was sure to arouse suspicion and only serve to remind her that their hands were as much in disguise as the rest of them and it would not give her as much comfort as it normally would.

The meeting was led by a tall, bone-thin older man who, Leia realized as a chill ran down her spine, reminded her of Grand Moff Tarkin. She'd endured far too much torture in her short life, but none had been so terrible as his ordering of her planet to be destroyed. She had to calm herself with the sudden irrational need to lash out at the injustice she had suffered. Nobody else could suffer. The plan needed to succeed.

After a while of speaking, another one of the Imperials entered the room and whispered something in the man's ear that caused a look of concern to cross his face. And maybe a bit of fear. Leia knew intuitively that that was the information she had been waiting for them to receive. Kuat was under attack. She felt the air escape her lungs as he ordered a few men out of the room and then continued the meeting as though nothing had happened.

If the diversion was working as intended, most of the best military personnel would be headed off-planet immediately. Kuat was far too important to leave up to your second best men. She discreetly rubbed her hand soothingly along her belly, realizing how unsettling that felt with her faux-reptilian hand. She had decided she was happy to be having Han's baby, she just wasn't thrilled with how the timing had worked out. And she wondered how such a tiny, almost too small to see being could wreak such havoc on her stomach. The last thing she needed was to throw up all over the meeting table.

She took a few deep breaths and tried to will away the nausea. It was one of the first times she wished that she'd known she had the Force earlier so she could use one of those Jedi calming techniques that Han loved to tease Luke so much about. She wondered if Luke would get to teach their children how to do that someday.

"I think we've gone through enough to start and I'm sure you're all hungry," the Tarkin-esque man said. So I am just going to go and take care of a few things. You all may remain here and your lunch will be here shortly.

Mention of lunch sent a pang to Leia's stomach that she couldn't tell if it was revulsion or desperate hunger. It almost made her forget that the food service droids that would no doubt soon enter the room were the key to their entire plan. She felt a whole new level of anxiety. Worse, she knew that soon she and Han would have to go their separate ways and she wouldn't be able to tell if anything had happened to him. She knew he was competent and could take care of himself, but this was an awfully dangerous mission.

They remained "in character" for the time being, having decided that it was best not to do anything to compromise things before they had the food service droids. She wanted to tell Han to be careful, tell him she loved him one more time.

When she realized her fists were shaking as they were clenched in nervousness, she released them as the door whooshed open and the food service droids came in.

Han turned and looked at her, and it was still unsettling to see him in this elaborate disguise. "Ready?"

******  
A/N: _**Push's condition to me was that I had to get them inside the Imperial Palace, either according to plan... or not.**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush**_

Chewie and the group of Wookiees began to unload the food service droids, which would in itself be a normal activity that shouldn't have aroused any suspicion. In the meantime, the four humans began to deactivate the security cameras. Simply disconnecting them would sound the alarm too quickly, so Lando and Han hotwired them to replay a loop from earlier in their meeting. Unless the security drone working the monitoring room knew that they should be eating and not meeting, which was highly unlikely, the false feed should pretty much cover their tracks indefinitely.

In order to sneak in the devices they needed to complete their mission, several items were hidden within their alien disguises. Several coma gas canisters were housed inside Han's Devorian horns, for example. So, while Han and Lando worked on the security cameras, Luke and Leia began to remove their disguises and collect their hidden paraphernalia. By the time Han and Lando were finished with the cameras, all the food service droids had been disassembled and Luke and Leia were out of their disguises with their detonators, weapons and communication devices laid out on the conference room table.

The Wookiees were standing around eating, knowing that their next meal may be a long way's off. Lando began removing his disguise. Han, however, needed help removing the coma canisters from his forehead. Both Luke and Leia approached him as he began to peel the synthetic flesh from his face.

"You, go eat something," Han said to Leia in a tone that brooked no argument. "Luke got these things on me. He can get 'em off of me."

There was a flicker of something across her face, and for a moment Han regretted his brusqueness. But then her face softened, she nodded and then headed toward the table where the food had been unloaded.

"You alright?" Luke asked, as he began to work at the coma-gas-filled horns that adorned Han's head.

"Yeah. I shouldn't've snapped at her like that, though," he said, almost more to himself than to Luke. Han was staring across the conference room at his wife as he spoke.

"Everyone's on edge. She understands."

Han looked down at his brother-in-law. Lately he wondered just how much Luke and Leia could convey to each other without the constraints of normal communication. He would be lying if he said he wasn't envious of how in-tuned they seemed to be with each other.

The first of Han's horns snapped away from his face with an audible pop and Han's head felt lighter and slightly off-kilter. Luke stared down at the contraption for a moment, studying it intently. Han took the time to glance over at Leia, she was talking with one of the Wookiees and eating a small sandwich. The muscles in his face relaxed into a small smile as he realized that even before Luke had told him that she understood, he had known anyway - without needing any mystical Force connection. And that being jealous of Luke now was just as silly as his jealousy of Luke several years ago, even more so, in fact. Almost as if in confirmation, Leia turned and looked at him from across the room and gave him a warm smile.

The plan had called for at least ten food service droids, with an ideal of nineteen. They had been sent twenty. Fifteen of the droids were wired with coma gas and explosives and were programmed to be dispersed at tactical locations such as building entrances, turbolifts and other highly trafficked areas. Four were emptied and prepped for human occupancy and they sat patiently waiting as the four humans triple-checked their comlinks, timing and strategies and said their final goodbyes.

Leia hugged Lando first. They had come a long way in their relationship since their first meeting on Bespin and as the handsome rogue wrapped his arms around her tightly she felt the first hint of tears bursting forth as the overwhelming emotion of the moment swelled inside her chest.

Lando pulled away from her. "I want to be the first to buy you a drink on New Republic credits," he said.

"Make it Blumfruit juice, and we have a deal," she replied.

"Right," he said quietly, squeezing her arm before letting her go.

Lando was quickly replaced by Luke, who had been waiting right behind him. He stood in front of her, only smiling for a moment before he finally spoke. "Keep your mind open and your thoughts clear. I'll be right there with you."

She nodded her head and he pulled her into an embrace. Somehow Luke brought out the soldier in her. Maybe it was his words or the fact that they were partnered in this mission, or perhaps he was bolstering her through the Force, but hugging him quelled the emotions that Lando's embrace had just recently stirred up and with her twin in her arms she felt balanced.

As Luke stepped away, she saw her husband standing and waiting several paces away and when it seemed as if he wasn't going to do anything more than stand there and stare at her, her knees buckled a little in anticipation of running into his arms. He must've read her movements because in two long strides he was suddenly standing in front of her. And then it was his arms enveloping her, her face pressed against his broad chest, the smell of him and the sound of his breathing and the beat of his heart and the whole of Imperial City dropped away.

She willed herself not to cry as she tightened her arms around him. He made her feel dizzy and terrified and excited and…loved. And although Luke's sense of balance felt safe and secure, in Han's arms she felt invincible.

He kissed the top of her head and loosened his grip, a signal for her to let go but she held on just a moment longer. When she pulled away and looked up at him, she felt a single tear trail down her cheek. Han didn't comment on it, he only bent his head down to hers and kissed her deeply. It was the kind of kiss that made her knees weak and her insides quiver. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back in kind.

"I love you," he whispered as their kiss finally broke. He held her face cradled between his hands.

"I love you, too."

He looked as if he wanted to say something else and perhaps he did, they had always had a way to communicate without words, even when they had been at each other's throats and now his expression, his hands and his presence expressed everything that he couldn't find the words to say.

The rest of the room had been respectfully quiet as the couple said their goodbyes, but time was of the essence and it was Chewbacca who finally broke them apart with a long, low growl that Leia recognized as a tender show of affection. She went from her husband's arms into Chewie's and then, donning her coma gas mask and double checking her comlink one last time, she crawled into her droid. From then on out it would be all up to their planning, their intel, perhaps the Force and definitely a little bit of luck.

The first thing that went wrong was their ability to communicate. Some sort of descrambler had wreaked havoc with their comlinks as soon as they entered the Command Center. Leia tried to remain open and calm as her brother had advised her.

They were each supposed to be keeping a manual count as a failsafe. Not perfect but it would be close enough should all communications fail. If the three groups, Han, Lando and she and Luke, were at least a few seconds apart, the plan would still work. The problem was, since she and Luke were together on the same floor, in the same room, they had to be perfectly synchronized. Maybe this is why Luke had had his vision. Perhaps through the Force they could still communicate and time their attack.

Leia had kept her manual count. Her droid was definitely in the Command Center and had stopped moving. Of course, a normal food service droid would begin dispensing its fares, but so far no one had noticed the malfunction. According to her internal calculations, they were less than two minutes away from starting.

She drew in long deep breaths through her nose and released them slowly through her mouth as she counted down. There was a pressure, like a heavy hand on her shoulder that held her back. _Luke?_ The momentary grasp to feel for her brother made the heavy presence disappear and she panicked, unable to remember where she had left off on her count. She tried again to slow her breathing, but it felt forced and she was unable to relax. Although the cramped innards of the droid were totally dark, she closed her eyes and tried to find her center once again.

Calmness and inner peace seemed as far away as Nal Hutta and Leia's mind reeled through the complex chain of emotions that her panic had ignited. If the mission failed because she couldn't concentrate…no, she couldn't allow herself to think that way. Obviously Luke had had his vision for a reason and she was supposed to be with him so that they would be able to communicate. She still had time to calm down, to make it right. She tried once again to control her breathing, in through her nose and out through her mouth…

The first time she felt it she dismissed it as nausea. It was the smallest of flutters down deep in her abdomen. When it happened again she concentrated on the sensation of it. There was a presence, an aura surrounding the area that exuded tranquility and confidence. It reminded her of Han and what it felt like to sense him through the Force. The heavy handed pressure returned, pressing down on her shoulders in a signal to wait. She was once again open to Luke and instead of fumbling with his connection she accepted it, trusting that she would know when he gave the signal.

The Imperial Council, along with Executor Nalc, was meeting in the executive conference room discussing the foolish attack on Kuat by the insolent Rebels when the conference room door quite literally burst open. When the shards of transparisteel and puffs of smoke had cleared, several large Wookiees filed into the room and flanked the Imperial officers, growling and howling as they did so.

Executor Nalc turned to his assistant. "What is the meaning of this, Dolfin?"

Dolfin, the undersecretary responded grimly as he tried to press himself further into his chair in an effort to disappear. "I'm afraid I don't speak Wookiee, Executor."

 _"That's okay, I do."_

All heads turned to the holocomm at the center of the table. There stood a small holoimage of a tall, male human.

"Who in the blazes are you and what is the meaning of all of this?" Executor Nalc stood so as to tower over the flickering image.

 _"Han Solo, General of the New Republic and the meaning of this is you're under arrest for crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes."_

Nalc didn't even flinch. He thumbed the switch of his private comlink. "Get me security."

The image of Han Solo stood calmly in the center of the table as Nalc's comlink crackled to life. _"New Republic Security, Coruscant."_

"New Repub-?" Some color drained from Nalc's face. "Who is this? Who patched me through to you?"

 _"The answer to your first question is Lando Calrissian, General of the New Republic and currently in charge planetary security."_ The voice over his comlink replied cheerfully.

 _"And in answer to your second question,"_ the tiny image of Han Solo said. _"I patched you through, seeing as I'm in charge of planetary communications now."_

Nalc dropped slowly into his seat.

The Imperial Council had remained quiet under the watchful eyes of the Wookiees, but it was Lord Dangor who spoke next. "What about the Command Center and Grand Vizier Pestage?"

 _"I'd be glad to put you through,"_ General Solo replied.

The group around the table sat with bated breath as the infidel patched their comm transmission through. Most of them seemed resigned to their fate and were no more anticipating Pestage to answer that call then the late Emperor himself. But some seemed to hold out a glimmer of hope.

 _"Imperial Center, Command Services,"_ a uniformed Imperial, albeit a nervous-looking one, flickered to life on the other side of the comm.

"Who's in charge up there, Lieutenant?" Executor Nalc snapped, a faint ray of optimism buffeting his resolve.

The Imperial's visage was replaced by one every single member of the Council recognized. _"If you have to ask, you probably don't want to know,"_ Luke Skywalker answered cheekily.

 ** _*** 2017 note from Zyra: As far as I could tell when looking back I did not give Push any conditions for this chapter. To the very few of you still reading, this story only has 3 more chapters to go._**


	28. Chapter 28

Han loved making Imperials speechless. There were certainly some doubts in his head about whether or not they'd be successful in the mission, but he should've known that his luck was always on his side. Not to mention Leia, Luke and several other of the bravest and most intelligent people he'd ever met.

Leia. He still hadn't heard her voice throughout the entire exchange. He felt his chest tighten. It was very likely that she was perfectly fine. She was with Luke, after all. But that didn't stop him from feeling the need to hear her voice or see her face in confirmation that she was okay. He had to resist the urge to ask for her over the Imperial communications.

Not wanting to sit around and wait any longer, he was about to go and find her, but he had only gotten the door to slide open when the object of his desires appeared in front of him, once again as though she had read his mind.

"You okay?" he asked, pretty sure just by looking at her that that was the case.

"Sure, you?" She smiled and he simply pulled her into a hug.

"What are you doin' up here? Wandering the corridors by yourself?"

"Luke is fine, he can handle things down there. I needed to make sure you were okay. And right now all we really have to do is wait for confirmation that the air strike team is on its way."

He leaned back to look at her. "You think this is really it? You think we're really all gonna be okay?"

She nodded. "I have a good feeling about this, Han. I really do."

"Good. I like it when you have good feelings."

"Well, speaking of feelings, if you like that, you're going to love this," she began.

"Han, Leia? Come in!"

Luke's voice came over their private comm channel and Han immediately went to answer. "Solo, here. Go ahead."

"Why don't you two come back to the Command Center. We got word that the fleet is headed this way with reinforcements from Corellia and Duro, a few others to follow soon after. It'll make things easier if we're all in the same place."

"Understood," Han replied. "We'll meet you there in three minutes. Solo, out."

It felt good to have everything coming together and Han took Leia's hand and led her towards the door before stopping abruptly. "Wait, were you gonna tell me something?"

She hesitated for a moment and then shook her head. "It can wait."

"You sure?"

She pulled his hand along. "Come on, let's go."

Leia felt as though a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. They'd done it. There were still a few things to take care of but the first part of their plan had worked. She reached down and rubbed her stomach, smiling and giddy with anticipation of telling Han what she had sensed.

Just knowing they were having a baby at all gave her all sorts of things to think about for the future. But knowing its gender gave it a much more concrete reality. Maybe sometime soon they could start to pick out clothes and she'd even be able to picture them on her child.

She felt slightly devious when she looked at Han, feeling like a little girl who had a reason to tease someone with, "I know something you don't know!" Just to drive them crazy. She couldn't wait to see his face.

They made it to the Command Center where Luke had remained and Lando, Chewie and a few of the other Wookiees had already arrived. There were general greetings of congratulations and pats on backs and handshakes, although there was still some apprehension as there was still some waiting to do before they'd know that things were entirely under control.

"Luke, have you heard from Madine yet?" Leia asked.

"They should be here in the next thirty minutes. They've got quite a fleet with them. It shouldn't take long. They figure that they've got the Imperials backed up against a corner. With the core worlds turning on them it would be impossible for them to maintain control. They just don't have the resources. And once the big ones start joining in with us, it will make it easier for the others to follow."

"Gods, I'm so glad to hear that," Leia said. Her body was pressed up against Han's side and she wrapped her arms around him when she heard the good news. It seemed that things were finally going to be all right.

Han turned her to face him. "I knew you'd figure out how to save us all again," Han said.

"Me? Hardly. There were a lot more people involved than just me."

"Yeah, but I don't know if anyone else would've come up with that whole server droid thing."

She laughed. "Leave it to the pregnant lady to be completely preoccupied with food. It's enough to drive a mother crazy already. First our son likes to make me want to throw up, and then he gets hungry…"

Han suddenly looked incredulous. "Wait, did you say son?"

She looked up at him, smiling and nodding.

"So you know?"

She nodded again. "Just before we sprung the attack I sensed him. He feels a lot like you."

Han was torn between laughter and tears, but he still remained speechless.

"We're going to have a baby boy, Han."

He pulled her into a hug and squeezed her as tightly as was appropriate without crossing the boundary into crushing her bones. Her voice was muffled against his chest when she spoke. "I guess maybe you're happy about the news?"

She felt his body shake in laughter before he kissed the top of her head and leaned back to look at her. "I'd be happy either way, but it's still just even more exciting to know what we're having."

"Do you want to tell everyone else?"

Han looked around the room and took some time to consider his answer. "How about we enjoy this victory first, then we can get everyone excited about my baby boy."

"Your baby boy? Which one of us is doing the work here?"

"You know I'm only kidding, sweetheart. I can't wait to meet him."

"Me neither."

 _ **A/N: Her condition to me was that Leia had to tell Han what she was having.**_

 _ ***2017 A/N: And that baby boy is NOT Ben! This is an AU story and there will be no Ben.  
**_


	29. Chapter 29

**_The following chapter was written by ShouldIGetOutandPush_**

 _High Court, New Republic, Coruscant, Six Months Later_ …

Some of the last of the remaining Imperials were standing trial in court as the New Republic continued to establish itself as the new galactic government. Leia Solo sat in the courtroom next to her husband, his hand laying protectively over hers. It had been months and months of trials and guilty verdicts and although Leia and Han hadn't found it necessary to be present at every single one, there were a few that they couldn't miss. This was one of them.

After so much of the Imperial Remnant had been swept away, this particular group of engineers and commanders had not only been difficult to find, but their capture had been highly anticipated by many. They were responsible for the development and deployment of most all of the Empire's sadistic torture machines and weapons of mass destruction, including the interrogator droid that Leia had faced on the Death Star, the scan grid that Han had been strapped to on Bespin and the planet-destroying terror that was the Death Star itself.

As a tidy list of the expansive and gruesome devastation that the creations of these men and women had created was read aloud, Leia placed her hand upon her swollen belly and caressed it. As much as she tried to remain impassive and removed from the proceedings, clearly her discomfiture was being felt by her highly adept, Force-sensitive son that was growing inside of her. Han squeezed her other hand and glanced at her worriedly. She offered a reassuring smile as the judge called the courtroom to silence to announce the verdicts.

She and Han rose to their feet along with the prosecution, defendants and the rest of the spectators. It had been much easier to pursue justice on the Grand Moffs and other leaders who had ordered the total annihilation of entire cities or the torture of innocent citizens, but these cases and charges were not as clear cut. Many of the engineers asserted that they had no idea what the Empire was doing with their research and discoveries. However, with names like Death Star and The Agony Inducer already penned in their laboratories, it had been argued that it was nearly impossible for the inventors to be completely oblivious to their final uses.

The most damning evidence, in the end, was the fact that this same research facility recreated a bigger and better Death Star even after the destruction of Leia's home planet of Alderaan by the first one of the same name. There was another twitch in Leia's abdomen as she waited for the judge to read the final verdicts. She did not wish to see these people face corporate punishment, but she certainly hoped that they would spend the rest of their lives in a New Republic prison contemplating how they had chosen to utilize their goddess-given gifts.

Nothing could bring back that which these people had taken away, but at the very least, justice could be served and as these were the last to stand trial, this part of her life, of everyone's life, could finally be laid to rest. After today's proceedings, the New Republic and the galaxy with it, could truly begin anew, no longer with their attention focused on the past but with their eyes to the future.

The judge read the first of the charges. Leia's stomach tightened. "Guilty," the judge stated flatly and Leia slowly released the breath she had been holding.

Han wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. Leia ran her hand over her stomach. The judge read the next set of charges. The word rolled off the judge's lips again, "Guilty."

"It's almost over, sweetheart," Han whispered in her ear while the judge read the next set of charges. Some beings in the courtroom had begun whimpering, sniffling and some others even exclaiming in triumphant outbursts.

The judge had to call for order before he read the next verdict. Leia felt a twinge run along her stomach in anticipation. "Guilty," was pronounced once again.

Leia closed her eyes and pressed her face against Han's chest. He hugged her more tightly and kissed the top of her head. She would not let the tears come forth. All her tears had been shed years ago, all her grief released. Today was not about her loss or her pain but about freedom and closure. A million guilty verdicts wouldn't compensate for the lives taken by the hands of the Empire and a million years may not heal all of the physical and mental wounds.

"Guilty." She heard the word once again and it rippled through the crowd like a tumultuous wave.

She and Han had been sitting in an audience chamber that was supposed to be separated from the general populace but after the judge had begun to announce the verdicts it seemed that security had been overwhelmed by agitated beings. The noise of the courtroom had reached a crescendo and her stomach twisted painfully. The large human next to her jostled against her roughly and she had to struggle to maintain her footing as off-balanced as she was in her current state.

"Han, I think we should go," she said, pulling away from him and looking up at his face.

"Yeah, I think you're right," he agreed as he began to guide her cautiously through the maddening crowd.

The exit was deadlocked in a bottle neck of beings trying to leave the courtroom and Han and Leia patiently tried to work their way through. Another pain, this one shooting and sharp, rippled across her stomach nearly making her hunch over from its affect. Disassociating herself from the emotional turmoil of the courtroom, Leia centered her thoughts on her body and concentrated.

"Han," she breathed out, squeezing his hand to get his attention. "We need to get out of here."

"I know, sweetheart. I'm trying."

"No, I mean," she hesitated, working through another wave of pain. "We need to get to a hospital. I think the baby's coming."

Han's face blanched white for a quick moment before it was replaced by the grim determination she had had so many occasions to witness throughout their relationship. Suddenly the wall of humans and aliens that had stood before them began to part as if by a miracle or some sort of Force trick that Luke would've done. But it wasn't the Force, or any miracle, just an overprotective, crazy Corellian that let nothing stand in the way of safety and those that he loved.

Han was letting out low, guttural growls of warning that would've made Chewbacca proud as he led Leia through the wide path that people had begun to make for them. As soon as they were in the great hallway of the courthouse, Han began calling for a medic on both his comlink and into the air for anyone within a parsec away to hear.

As the crowd thinned, Han had picked up his pace still speaking rapidly into his comlink, but Leia was hard-pressed to keep up with him, especially in her current condition. "Han, slow down. I can't keep up with you," she pleaded.

He turned back to look at her, almost as if he had forgotten about her in his hurried panic. What exactly he saw, she didn't know. But it was enough to motivate him to scoop her up in his arms and head for the exit in long, loping strides.

Once outside, they were finally ushered into an awaiting ambulance and the medics began to hook Leia up to scanners and various monitors.

"Han?" Leia called out. Now, lying on her back she could only see the metal ceiling of the ambulance and three strangers hovering over her busily.

"I'm right here, sweetheart."

She heard his voice and felt him squeeze her hand and she breathed a little easier.

"How is she fellas?" Han asked, from what she could tell he was hovering somewhere around her stomach.

"Her heart rate is elevated, keep talking to her. We're trying to get a read on the baby," one of the medics answered, the one to her left who was currently poking her in the arm.

"Her heart rate is always elevated when I'm around, that's what got us into this mess in the first place," Han joked, giving her hand another squeeze. "Try to calm down, sweetheart. They'll be plenty of time for that later."

Leia shook her head and smiled. If she wasn't currently tethered to a million different monitors she would've slapped him. Her stomach tightened and she concentrated on working through another contraction. As the fist of pain loosened its grip on her, she replied, "You may never get another chance to get me in this condition, flyboy."

"You're doing great. Your heart rate is leveling. The baby's sounding fine." This came from the medic on her right and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Call Luke," she whispered as the ambulance turned a corner and began to climb up an incline.

"Already done. He pinged me about ten seconds after you asked to go to the hospital. You'd think he was in labor, too."

"Chewie?" She asked.

"Covered. And Rieekan, Lando, the entire Alliance is on alert. It's like another Death Star is entering the galaxy."

"Not funny," she replied as her brain began to catch up with the entire situation. After nine months of waiting it was hardly conceivable that the time was finally here and no matter how much they had planned and talked about this, it still seemed…unexpected. "Are you ready for this?" She asked, trying to lift her head and find him.

"Would it matter if I said no?" He joked back as he slid a little forward so that she could see his face.

"I guess not." She laid her head back down on the pillow and breathed deeply.

He ran his hand along her forehead and then down her cheek. "How 'bout you? Are you ready?"

She nodded her head and smiled at him. Out of every role that had been thrust upon her in her life, princess, politician, rebel, none had seemed to come easier and more naturally to her than wife and now mother. "I can't wait to meet our son," she finally answered him as another crushing contraction began to bear down on her.

Han held her hand and watched the monitors spike in distress. "I think the feeling's mutual," he muttered as he stood helplessly by her side.


	30. Chapter 30

The ride to the med center seemed to take an eternity. Leia's hand clenched Han's as various pains he didn't understand periodically swept through her body. It was impossible for him to tell which of these pains were normal and which might mean something was wrong. Either way, his chest constricted every time her small fingers squeezed hard around his hand and he saw her face contort in discomfort. There was nothing he hated more than seeing her suffering and not being able to help.

Against his wishes, she was whisked away without him upon their arrival, told that he would have to be sanitized and fitted with sterile clothing before he could join his wife. Somehow restraining himself from lashing out in anger, he followed the instructions and within three minutes was back by Leia's side as her eyes immediately found his, reaching out to him in relief.

"Don't you leave me again," she said through clenched teeth as she took his hand, squeezing it with a surprisingly intense grip. He could tell she was in pain was about as bad as she had ever experienced.

"Never. I promise."

It was a while before Han could hear much of anything aside from his heart thundering in his chest, Leia's occasional exclamations of pain, various medical monitors, and words exchanged between doctors and nurses. He was able to remain by Leia's side as her hand clenched his tighter and tighter, wanting the whole thing to be over both so his wife would no longer be in so much pain and so they could finally meet their son. He stroked her hair with his free hand, trying futilely to provide some comfort.

He felt as though he couldn't breathe, and then he felt Leia's grip finally relax and simultaneously heard the beautiful cry of their baby boy. His eyes traveled down to Leia's feet as he saw the tiny little being revealed to him, held up briefly by the doctor before being handed off to the nurse and quickly cleaned and wrapped in a blanket.

Han took a moment to lean down and kiss Leia's sweaty forehead, thinking how amazing it was that she had brought their child into the universe and being immensely glad that he was not the one who had to do what she had just done.

No words were exchanged before the little baby was handed to his mother, wrapped up tightly in a light blue blanket. Leia cradled their son in her arms, tears of joy lightly trickling down her cheeks and Han saw his son immediately relax within his Leia's embrace, relieved from the turmoil of suddenly being removed from the safety of his mother's womb.

"Hi, sweetheart," Leia said quietly, placing a gentle kiss on the infant's forehead. The baby's brown eyes were fixed on his mother's for a few seconds until they traveled up to meet those of his father gazing back at him. Leia noticed where his stare went. "That's your daddy."

Han held his hand out and touched the tiny fingers that reached out to him. Never having had the opportunity to see a newborn baby, he had no idea that any human could possibly be this small. "Hi, baby," Han said in a voice he almost didn't recognize as his own.

Leia looked up at her husband and he smiled back at her, tears in his eyes as well, still in disbelief that this entire situation could possibly be real. There were no adequate words to express what he was feeling, so he simply said, "I love you," to his wife, and she mouthed the words back at him before he leaned down to kiss her gently. "He's perfect," Han said, his finger still wrapped in his son's fist. "What are we gonna name him?"

Leia smirked in thought and then said simply, "What about Chance?"

Their son made a happy little gurgling noise at the sound of the suggestion and Han had to agree that he liked the sound of it. "I think it's perfect."

As Leia gazed down at their son, it felt as though all of the hardships they'd fought through had been worth it. Most people likely would've given up long before she had, and she'd often wondered herself if there was anything left worth fighting for when it always seemed to be an uphill battle.

She looked up at her loving husband once again, wondering if she'd ever seen such joy on his face. Then she looked down at the tiny baby they'd created and knew that somewhere deep down she'd always been fighting to be able to enjoy this very moment. She had a family again and the universe was a safe place for them to grow. In Chance's eyes she could almost already see the young boy he would all-too-soon grow into, looking so like his father, running through a vast field with flowing grass up to his knees. She even thought she could see a little girl running behind him, slightly younger with long, brown hair. Perhaps the little sister she and Han would soon give him. In the vision she saw Han run up behind them, scooping the little girl up into his arms and chasing after her brother. They would finally get the happiness and contentment they deserved.

She leaned down and kissed her son's forehead once again, Han following right after to do the same and then turning to kiss Leia and once more whisper, "I love you."

Warmth spread through Leia's exhausted body at the words. She knew that from then on, everything would be all right.

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **A/N 2017: See? I told you there would be no Ben. There were no conditions for this chapter, we just knew it was time for the story to end and of course for the baby to be born. I hope at least a few of you enjoyed this story and of course seeing Han and Leia live happily ever after, as it should be.**_


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